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Cl )e  •Stuturnts’  Series  of  iLattu  Classics 


M.  TULLI  CICERONIS 
CATO  MAI  OR  DE  SENECTUTE 

Marcus  Tullius  Cice.ro 

// 

WITH  NOTES 

BY 

CHARLES  E.  BENNETT 

PROFESSOR  OF  LATIN  IN  CORNELL  UNIVERSITY 

JUN  1 1 1918 


ov  7 roXX’  aWa  iroXv 


BENJ.  H.  SANBORN  & CO. 

BOSTON,  U.S.A. 

• 1902 


Copyright,  1897, 

By  CHARLES  E.  BENNETT. 


Norfoooti  Ifkcss 

J.  S.  Cushing  & Co.  — Berwick  & Smith 
Norwood  Mass.  U.S.A. 


ST  I 

0.  1 O jz>  % lo 


V- 


PREFACE 


For  the  text  of  this  edition,  I have  endeavored  to 
utilize  the  critical  material  that  has  appeared  since  the 
publication  of  Muller’s  edition  (Leipsic,  1879).  In  the 
commentary  the  aim  has  been  to  give  only  such  infor- 
mation as  the  student  needs  for  an  adequate  under- 
standing of  the  text.  All  discussion  of  moot  points, 
whether  of  text  or  interpretation,  has  been  relegated 
to  a Critical  Appendix. 

To  Professor  Alfred  Gudeman,  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  Professor  H.  C.  Elmer  and  Mr.  Chas. 
L.  Durham,  of  Cornell  University,  I here  extend  my 
acknowledgment  for  valuable  assistance  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  this  volume. 

C.  E.  B. 

Ithaca,  May  1,  1897. 

iii 


S'M  *«5 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2017  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/mtulliciceronisc00cice_0 


INTRODUCTION 


1.  Time  of  Composition  of  the  de  Senectute. — With 

the  overthrow  of  Pompey  at  Pharsalus  in  48  b.c.  and  the  con- 
sequent ascendency  of  Julius  Caesar,  Cicero  had  retired  com- 
pletely from  the  arena  of  political  life.  Resigning  himself 
of  necessity  to  the  centralizing  policy  of  Caesar,  he  sought 
consolation  in  his  ever  favorite  pursuit  of  philosophy,  and  it  is 
to  these  closing  years  of  his  life  that  his  chief  philosophical 
works  belong.  It  is  still  a disputed  question  whether  the  de 
Senectute  was  written  shortly  before  or  shortly  after  the  assas- 
sination of  Caesar  (March  15,  44  b.c.).  Conservative  opinion 
at  present , tends  to  recognize  the  earlier  date  as  the  more 
probable,  and  to  refer  the  composition  of  the  work  either  to 
the  last  months  of  45  b.c.  or  to  the  very  earliest  part  (Janu- 
ary or  February)  of  44. 

2.  Atticus.  — The  essay  is  dedicated  to  Cicero’s  intimate 
friend  Titus  Pomponius  Atticus.  Atticus  was  born  in  109  b.c., 
of  an  old  and  wealthy  equestrian  family.  From  88  to  65  b.c. 
he  had  resided  at  Athens,  devoting  his  time  to  literary  and 
philosophical  studies.  Returning  to  Rome  in  65,  he  lived  on 
terms  of  intimacy  with  the  first  men  of  his  day.  His  friend- 
ship with  Cicero  had  begun  early  in  life,  when  the  two  were 
students  together,  and  is  well  attested  by  the  sixteen  books  of 
letters  (Epistulae  ad  Atticum)  which  have  come  down  to  us. 
This  correspondence  begins  in  68  b.c.  and  continues  for  twenty- 
five  years,  ending  only  a few  months  before  Cicero’s  death 
(Dec.  7,  43  b.c.).  Atticus  never  entered  public  life.  His  death 
occurred  eleven  years  after  that  of  Cicero,  in  32  b.c. 

3.  Occasion  of  the  Dialogue;  its  Dramatic  Date. — 
Scipio  and  Laelius  meeting  at  the  house  of  the  elder  Cato 


v 


VI 


INTRODUCTION 


express  their  wonder  at  the  cheerfulness  with  which  he  bears 
the  burdens  of  age.  Cato’s  answer  leads  the  young  men  to 
request  that  he  will  set  forth  to  them  the  means  whereby  old 
age  may  be  made  easy  and  happy.  In  compliance  Cato  pro- 
ceeds to  consider  in  detail  the  various  accusations  brought 
against  old  age,  and  to  show  how  groundless  these  are.  The 
greater  part  of  the  work  is  taken  up  by  Cato’s  remarks.  The 
participation  of  Scipio  and  Laelius  in  the  conversation  is  so 
slight  that  the  composition  is  practically  an  essay,  not  a dialogue. 

The  dramatic  date  of  the  conversation  is  150  b.c.,  the  year 
before  Cato’s  death. 

4.  The  Interlocutors  : 

(a)  Cato.  “ M.  Porcius  Cato  was  a Sabine  farmer  who  rose 
from  the  plough  to  the  highest  honors  of  the  Republic.  Born 
in  234  b.c.,  a soldier  at  seventeen,  praetor  in  198  b.c.,  and 
consul  in  195  b.c.,  a veteran  in  the  fields  of  war  and  oratory, 
he  was  the  last  representative  of  old-fashioned,  middle-class 
conservatism,  a bitter  foe  to  new  men  and  new  manners,  a 
latter-day  Cincinnatus.  He  had  served  from  the  Trasimene 
to  Zama,  in  Sardinia,  Spain,  Macedon,  with  skill,  courage, 
success.  Accused  forty-four  times,  accuser  as  often,  the  grey- 
eyed,  red-haired  man  had  literally  fought  his  way  up  with  his 
rough-and-ready  wit,  his  nervous  oratory,  his  practical  ability 
and  business  habits.  For  thirty-five  years  the  most  influential 
man  in  Rome,  he  had  acted  in  every  capacity,  as  general, 
administrator,  and  envoy.  He  was  a man  whose  virtues  served 
his  own  ends,  whose  real  but  well-trumpeted  austerity  was  a 
stalking-horse  for  his  personal  acrimony  and  ambition.  Nar- 
row, reactionary,  and  self-righteous,  as  he  was  honest,  active, 
and  well-meaning,  a good  hater  and  a persistent  critic,  at  once 
a bully  and  a moralist,  he  took  up  his  text  daily  against  the 
backslidings  and  iniquities  of  the  time,  against  Hellenism, 
luxury,  immorality,  and  corruption,  especially  as  personified 
in  the  Scipios  and  Flaminini  of  his  day.  At  bottom  he  was 
a genuine  man,  but  it  was  unlucky  that  the  strongest  reform- 
ing force  should  have  taken  shape  in  this  political  gladiator 


INTRODUCTION 


VII 


and  typical  Roman,  this  hard-hitting,  sharp-witted,  keenly 
commercial,  upright,  vulgar  Philistine.”  (How  and  Leigh, 
History  of  Rome  to  the  Death  of  Caesar,  p.  303.) 

Cato  lived  to  an  advanced  old  age,  dying  in  149  b.c.,  the  year 
after  the  date  of  the  conversation  represented  in  the  de  Senec- 
tute.  Much  has  been  made  of  the  tradition  that  in  his  last 
years  he  was  an  assiduous  student  of  Greek.  But  it  is  not 
likely  that  his  study  extended  to  the  imaginative  works  of 
Greek  literature,  the  masterpieces  of  Greek  poets  and  philoso- 
phers. His  interest  in  Greek  was  probably  solely  a practical 
one,  and  limited  to  the  use  of  Greek  sources  in  the  composition 
of  his  historical  work,  the  Origines.  Appreciation  for  the  ideal 
in  literature  and  art  he  never  possessed ; in  fact  he  cherished 
the  intensest  conviction  that  the  indulgence  of  these  sentiments 
involved  a distinct  menace  to  the  welfare  of  the  state.  Hence 
it  is  not  credible  that  in  his  old  age  he  should  have  renounced 
the  convictions  of  a lifetime  and  have  turned  with  enthusiasm 
to  the  models  of  the  creative  genius  of  the  Greeks.  Only  six 
years  before  his  death,  besides  giving  other  evidences  of  his 
anti-Hellenic  spirit,  he  had  been  a prime  mover  in  expediting 
the  departure  from  Rome  of  three  Greek  philosophers,  Diogenes, 
Critolaus,  and  Carneades,  who  having  come  to  the  city  on  a 
diplomatic  errand  were  using  their  leisure  to  set  forth  to  the 
Romans  the  tenets  of  their  respective  schools. 

It  is,  then,  an  ideal  Cato  that  meets  us  in  the  de  Senectute, 
not  the  real  Cato  of  flesh  and  blood  who  opposed  so  stoutly 
throughout  his  whole  career  the  tendencies  and  sentiments  for 
which  he  is  represented  by  Cicero  as  cherishing  so  lofty  an 
enthusiasm. 

( b ) Scipio.  The  Scipio  of  the  de  Senectute  (the  younger 
Africanus)  was  a son  of  Lucius  Aemilius  Paulus,  the  conqueror 
of  Macedonia.  The  name  Scipio  he  took  from  his  adoptive 
father,  P.  Cornelius  Scipio  (son  of  the  great  Africanus),  adding 
the  surname  Aemilianus  in  token  of  his  actual  descent.  Scipio 
was  born  about  185  b.c.,  and  was  therefore  about  thirty-five 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  the  alleged  dialogue.  Though  he 


Vlll 


INTRODUCTION 


early  began  to  devote  himself  to  the  profession  of  arms,  he 
possessed  also  decided  literary  tastes,  and  cultivated  friendly 
relations  with  the  contemporary  poets  Lucilius  and  Terence. 
Rumor  had  it  that  he  even  assisted  Terence  in  the  composition 
of  his  plays.  For  Cato,  Scipio  entertained  a profound  admira- 
tion, despite  the  old  hostility  between  the  two  families,  and  is 
said  to  have  taken  that  sturdy  exemplar  of  the  homely  virtues 
as  his  own  model. 

(c)  Laelius.  Gaius  Laelius,  surnamed  Sapiens,  was  of  about 
the  same  age  as  Scipio,  and  was  attached  to  him  by  ties  of  the 
closest  friendship,  as  his  father  had  been  attached  to  the  elder 
African  us.  Hence  Laelius  is  appropriately  made  the  chief 
speaker  in  Cicero’s  essay  on  friendship  (the  Laelius  or  de 
Amicitia).  Laelius  held  various  public  offices,  but  was  chiefly 
distinguished  for  his  enlightened  interest  in  literature  and 
philosophy. 

5.  Ennius.  — Ennius,  from  whose  Annals  Cato  so  often 
quotes  in  the  de  Senectute,  was  born  at  Rudiae  in  Calabria  in 
239  b.c.,  and  died  in  169.  lie  was  serving  as  a soldier  in  the 
Second  Punic  War  when  he  attracted  the  attention  and  won 
the  friendship  of  Cato,  who  brought  him  to  Rome  in  204  b.c. 
Here  for  a time  he  gained  a livelihood  by  teaching ; later  his 
poetic  gifts  secured  him  the  powerful  support  of  the  elder 
Africanus  and  others.  Ennius’s  chief  work  is  his  Annales,  ot 
which,  unfortunately,  only  fragments  have  come  down  to  us. 
This  was  an  historical  poem,  and  dealt  with  the  story  of  Roman 
achievement  from  the  earliest  times  down  to  and  including  the 
stirring  events  of  Ennius’s  own  day. 


M.  TULLI  CICERONIS 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE  LIBER 

AD  T.  POMPONIUM  ATTICUM 


1.1.  0 Tite,  si  quid  te  adiuero  curamve  levasso, 

Quae  nunc  te  coquit  et  versat  in  pectore  fixa, 

Ecquid  erit  praemi  ? 

Licet  enim  mihi  versibus  eisclem  affari  te,  Attice,  qui- 
bus  affatur  Flamininum  5 

Ille  vir  Baud  inagna  cum  re,  sed  plenus  fidei ; 
quamquam  certo  scio  non,  ut  Flamininum, 

Sollicitari  te,  Tite,  sic  noctesque  diesque  ; 

novi  enim  moderationem  animi  tui  et  aequitatem  teque 
non  cognomen  solum  Athenis  deportasse,  sed  humani-  10 
tatem  et  prudentiam  intellego.  Et  tamen  te  suspicor 
eisdem  rebus  quibus  me  ipsum  interdum  gravius  com- 
moveri,  quarum  consolatio  et  maior  est  et  in  aliud 
tempus  differenda.  Nunc  autem  visum  est  mihi  de 
senectute  aliquid  ad  te  conscribere.  2.  Hoc  enim  15 
onere,  quod  mihi  commune  tecum  est,  aut  iam  urgen- 
tis  aut  certe  adventantis  senectutis  et  te  et  me  ipsum 
levari  volo ; etsi  te  quidem  id  modice  ac  sapienter  sicut 
omnia  et  ferre  et  laturum  esse  certo  scio.  Sed  mihi, 

1 


9 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


cum  de  senectute  vellem  aliquid  scribere,  tu  occurre- 
bas  dignus  eo  munere,  quo  uterque  nostrum  commu- 
niter  uteretur.  Mihi  quidem  ita  iucunda  buius  libri 
confectio  fuit,  ut  non  modo  omnes  absterserit  senectu- 
5 tis  molestias,  sed  effecerit  mollem  etiam  et  iucundam 
senectutem.  Numquam  igitur  laudari  satis  digne  pbi- 
losophia  poterit,  cui  qui  pareat,  omne  tempus  aetatis 
sine  molestia  possit  degere.  3.  Sed  de  ceteris  et 
diximus  multa  et  saepe  dicemus ; hunc  librum  ad  te 
10  de  senectute  misimus.  Omnem  autem  sermonem  tri- 
buimus  non  Tithono,  ut  Aristo  Ceus  (parum  enim 
esset  auctoritatis  in  fabula),  sed  M.  Catoni  seni,  quo 
maiorem  auctoritatem  liaberet  oratio ; apud  quern  Lae- 
lium  et  Scipionem  facimus  admirantes,  quod  is  tarn 
15  facile  senectutem  ferat,  eisque  eum  respondentem. 
Qui  si  eruditius  videbitur  disputare,  quam  consuevit 
ipse  in  suis  libris,  attribuito  litteris  Graecis,  quarum 
constat  eum  perstudiosum  fuisse  in  senectute.  Sed 
quid  opus  est  plura  ? Iam  enim  ipsius  Catonis  sermo 
20  explicabit  nostram  omnem  de  senectute  sententiam. 

II.  4.  Scipio.  Saepe  numero  admirari  soleo  cum 
hoc  C.  Laelio  cum  ceterarum  rerum  tuam  excellentem, 
M.  Cato,  perfectamque  sapientiam,  turn  vel  maxime, 
quod  numquam  tibi  senectutem  gravem  esse  senserim, 
25  quae  plerisque  senibus  sic  odiosa  est,  ut  onus  se  Aetna 
gravius  dicant  sustinere. 

Cato.  Rem  baud  sane  difficilem,  Scipio  et  Laeli, 
admirari  videmini.  Quibus  enim  nibil  est  in  ipsis  opis 
ad  bene  beateque  vivendum,  eis  omnis  aetas  gravis 
30  est ; qui  autem  omnia  bona  a se  ipsi  petunt,  eis  nibil 
potest  malum  videri,  quod  naturae  necessitas  afferat. 
Quo  in  genere  est  in  primis  senectus ; quam  ut  adi- 


CHAPTERS  I.,  II. 


3 


piscantur  omnes  optant,  eandem  accusant  adeptam ; 
tanta  est  stultitiae  inconstantia  atque  perversitas. 
Obrepere  aiunt  earn  citius,  quam  putassent.  Primum 
quis  coegit  eos  falsum  putare  ? qui  enim  citius  adu- 
lescentiae  senectus  quam  pueritiae  adulescentia  obre- 
pit  ? Deinde  qui  minus  gravis  esset  eis  senectus,  si 
octingentesimum  annum  agerent  quam  si  octogesi- 
mum  ? praeterita  enim  aetas  quamvis  longa  cum- 
eflluxisset,  nulla  consolatione  permulcere  posset  stul- 
tam  senectutem.  5.  Quocirca  si  sapientiam  meam 
admirari  soletis  (quae  utinam  digna  esset  opinione 
vestra  nostroque  cognomine!),  in  hoc  sumus  sapientes, 
quod  naturam  optimam  ducem  tamquam  deum  sequi- 
mur  eique  paremus ; a qua  non  veri  simile  est,  cum 
ceterae  partes  aetatis  bene  discriptae  sint,  extremum 
actum  tamquam  ab  inerti  poeta  esse  neglectum.  Sed 
tamen  necesse  fuit  esse  aliquid  extremum  et  tamquam 
in  arborum  bacis  terraeque  fructibus  maturitate  tem- 
pestiva  quasi  vietum  et  caducum,  quod  ferendum  est 
molliter  sapienti.  Quid  est  enim  aliud  Gigantum 
modo  bellare  cum  dis  nisi  naturae  repugnare  ? 

6.  Laelius.  Atqui,  Cato,  gratissimum  nobis,  ut  etiam 
pro  Scipione  pollicear,  feceris,  si,  quoniam  speramus,  — 
volumus  quidem  certe,  — senes  fieri,  multo  ante  a te 
didicerimus,  quibus  facillime  rationibus  ingravescen- 
tem  aetatem  ferre  possimus. 

Cato.  Faciam  vero,  Laeli,  praesertim  si  utrique  ves- 
trum,  ut  dicis,  gratum  futurum  est. 

Laelius.  Volumus  sane,  nisi  molestum  est,  Cato, 
tamquam  longam  aliquam  viam  confeceris,  quam  nobis 
quoque  ingrediendum  sit,  istuc,  quo  pervenisti,  videre 
quale  sit. 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


4 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


III.  7.  Cato.  Faciam,  ut  potero,  Laeli.  Saepe 
enim  interfui  querelis  aequalium  meorum  (pares  antem 
vetere  proverbio  cum  paribus  facillime  congregantur), 
quae  C.  Salinator,  quae  -Sp.  Albinus,  homines  consu- 
5 lares,  nostri  fere  aequales,  deplorare  solebant,  turn 
quod  voluptatibus  carerent,  sine  quibus  vitam  nullam 
putarent,  turn  quod  spernerentur  ab  eis,  a quibus 
essent  coli  soliti.  Qui  mihi  non  id  videbantur  accu- 
sare,  quod  esset  accusandum.  N am  si  id  culpa  se- 
10  nectutis  accideret,  eadem  milii  usu  venirent  reliquis- 
que  omnibus  maioribus  natu,  quorum  ego  multorum 
cognovi  senectutem  sine  querela,  qui  se  et  libidinum 
vinculis  laxatos  esse  non  moleste  ferrent  nec  a suis 
despicerentur.  Sed  omnium  istius  modi  querelarum 
15  in  moribus  est  culpa,  non  in  aetate.  Moderati  enim 
et  nec  difficiles  nec  inhumani  senes  tolerabilem  senec- 
tutem agunt,  importunitas  autem  et  inhumanitas  omni 
aetati  molesta  est. 

8.  Laelius.  Est,  ut  dicis,  Cato ; sed  fortasse  dixerit 
20  quispiam  tibi  propter  opes  et  copias  et  dignitatetoi 
tuam  tolerabiliorem  senectutem  videri,  id  autem  non 
posse  multis  contingere. 

Cato.  Est  istud  quidem,  Laeli,  aliquid,  sed  nequa- 
quam  in  isto  sunt  omnia.  Ut  Themistocles  fertur 
25  Seriphio  cuidam  in  iurgio  respondisse,  cum  ille  dixis- 
set  non  eum  sua  sed  patriae  gloria  splendorem  asse- 
cutum  : f Nec  herculej  in  quit,  ‘ si  ego  Seriphius  essem , 
nec  tu , si  Atheniensis  esses,  clarus  umquam  fuisses ? 
Quod  eodem  modo  de  senectute  dici  potest.  Uec  enim 
30  in  summa  inopia  levis  esse  senectus  potest  ne  sapi- 
enti  quidem  nec  insipienti  etiam  in  summa  copia  non 
gravis.  9.  Aptissima  omnino  sunt,  Scipio  et  Laeli, 


CHAPTERS  III.,  IV. 


5 


anna  senectutis  artes  exercitationesque  virtutum, 
quae  in  omni  aetate  cultae,  cum  diu  multumque  vixe- 
ris,  mirificos  ecferunt  fructus,  non  solum  quia  num- 
quam  deserunt  ne  extremo  quidem  tempore  aetatis 
(quamquam  id  quidem  maximum  est),  verum  etiam 
quia  conscientia  bene  actae  vitae  multorumque  bene 
factorum  recordatio  iucundissima  est. 

IV.  10.  Ego  Q.  Maximum,  eum  qui  Tarentum  re- 
cepit,  senem  adulescens  ita  dilexi,  ut  aequalem ; erat 
enim  in  illo  viro  comitate  condita  gravitas,  nee  senec- 
tus  mores  mutaverat;  quamquam  eum  colere  coepi 
non  admodum  grandem  natu,  sed  tamen  iam  aetate 
provectum.  Anno  enim  post  consul  primum  fuerat, 
quam  ego  natus  sum,  cumque  eo  quartum  consule 
adulescentulus  miles  ad  Capuam  profectus  sum  quin- 
toque  anno  post  ad  Tarentum.  Quaestor  deinde  qua- 
driennio  post  f actus  sum,  quern  magistratum  gessi 
consulibus  Tuditano  et  Cethego,  cum  quidem  ille  ad- 
modum senex  suasor  legis  Cinciae  de  donis  et  mune- 
ribus  fuit.  Hie  et  bella  ge rebat  ut  adulescens,  cum 
plane  grandis  esset,  et  Hannibalem  iuveniliter  exsul- 
tantem  patientia  sua  molliebat ; de  quo  praeclare 
familiaris  noster  Ennius : 

Unus  homo  nobis  cunctando  restituit  rem. 

Noenum  rumores  ponebat  ante  salutem. 

Ergo  plusque  magisque  viri  nunc  gloria  claret. 

11.  Tarentum  vero  qua  vigilantia,  quo  consilio  rece- 
pit ! cum  quidem  me  audiente  Salinatori,  qui  amisso 
oppido  fuerat  in  arce,  glorianti  atque  ita  dicenti : 
6 Meet  opera , Q.  Fdbi , Tarentum  recepisti  ’ : ‘ Certe / 
inquit  ridens,  ‘worn  nisi  tu  amisisses , numquam  rece - 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


6 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


pissem Nee  vero  in  armis  praestantior  qnam  in 
toga;  qui  consul  iternm  Sp.  Carvilio  collega  quie- 
scente  C.  Elaminio  tribuno  plebis,  quoad  potuit,  restitit 
agrum  Picentem  et  Gallicum  viritim  contra  senatus 
5 auctoritatem  dividenti;  augurque  cum  esset,  dicere 
ausus  est  optimis  auspiciis  ea  geri,  quae  pro  rei  publi- 
cae  salute  gererentur ; quae  contra  rem  publicam  fer- 
rentur,  contra  auspicia  ferri.  12.  Multa  in  eo  viro 
praeclara  cognovi ; sed  nihil  admirabilius,  quam  quo 
10  modo  ille  mortem  fili  tulit,  clari  viri  et  consularis. 
Est  in  manibus  laudatio,  quam  cum  legimus,  quern 
philosophum  non  contemnimus  ? Nec  vero  ille  in 
luce  modo  atque  in  oculis  civium  magnus,  sed  intus 
domique  praestantior.  Qui  sermo,  quae  praecepta, 
15  quanta  notitia  antiquitatis,  scientia  iuris  augurii ! 
Multae  etiam,  ut  in  homine  Komano,  litterae ; omnia 
memoria  tenebat  non  domestica  solum,  sed  etiam 
externa  beila.  Cuius  sermone  ita  turn  cupide  fruebar, 
quasi  lam  divinarem,  id  quod  evenit,  illo  exstincto 
20  fore,  unde  discerein,  neminem. 

V.  13.  Quorsus  igitur  haec  tarn  multa  de  Maximo? 
Quia  profecto  videtis  nefas  esse  dictu  miseram  fuisse 
talem  senectutem.  Nec  tamen  omnes  possunt  esse 
Scipiones  aut  Maximi,  ut  urbium  expugnationes,  ut 
25  pedestres  navalesve  pugnas,  ut  beila  a se  gesta,  ut  tri- 
umphos  recordentur.  Est  etiam  quiete  et  pure  atque 
eleganter  actae  aetatis  placida  ac  lenis  senectus,  qua- 
lem  accepimus  Platonis,  qui  uno  et  octogesimo  anno 
scribens  est  mortuus,  qualem  Isocratis,  qui  eum 
30  librum,  qui  Panathenaicus  inscribitur,  quarto  et  nona- 
gesimo  anno  scripsisse  se  dicit  vixitque  quinquennium 
postea;  cuius  magister  Leontinus  Gorgias  centum  et 


CHAPTERS  V.,  VI. 


7 


septem  complevit  annos  neque  umquam  in  suo  studio 
atque  opere  cessavit.  Qui,  cum  ex  eo  quaereretur,  cur 
tam  diu  vellet  esse  in  vita:  6 Nihil  habeo / inquit, 
‘ quod  accusem  senectutem.’  Praeclarum  responsum  et 
docto  homine  dignum.  14.  Sua  enim  vitia  insipi- 
entes  et  suam  culpam  in  senectutem  conferunt;  quod 
non  faciebat  is,  cuius  modo  mentionem  feci,  Ennius  : 

Sicut  fortis  equos,  spatio  qui  saepe  supremo 

Vicit  Olumpia,  nunc  senio  confectus  quiescit. 

Equi  fortis  et  victoris  senectuti  comparat  suam. 
Quern  quidem  probe  meminisse  potestis;  anno  enim 
undevicesimo  post  eius  mortem  hi  consules,  T.  Flami- 
ninus  et  M\  Acilius,  facti  sunt,  ille  autem  Caepione 
et  Philippo  iterum  consulibus  mortuus  est,  cum  ego 
quinque  et  sexaginta  annos  natus  legem  Voconiam 
magna  voce  et  bonis  lateribus  suasi.  Sed  annos  septu- 
aginta  natus  (tot  enim  vixit  Ennius)  ita  ferebat  duo, 
quae  maxima  putantur,  onera,  paupertatem  et  senectu- 
tem, ut  eis  paene  delectari  videretur. 

15.  Etenim,  cum  complector  animo,  quattuor  repe- 
rio  causas,  cur  senectus  misera  videatur : unam,  quod 
avocet  a rebus  gerendis,  alteram,  quod  corpus  faciat 
infirmius,  tertiam,  quod  privet  omnibus  fere  voluptati- 
bus,  quartam,  quod  haud  procul  absit  a morte.  Earum, 
si  placet,  causarum  quanta  quamque  sit  iusta  una 
quaeque,  videamus. 

VI.  A rebus  gerendis  senectus  abstrah.it.  Quibus  ? 
an  eis,  quae  iuventute  geruntur  et  viribus  ? nullaene 
igitur  res  sunt  seniles,  quae  vel  infirmis  corporibus 
animo  tamen  administrentur  ? niliil  ergo  agebat  Q. 
Maximus,  nihil  L.  Paulus,  pater  tuus,  socer  optimi 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


8 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


viri,  fili  mei  ? ceteri  senes,  Fabricii,  Curii,  Corunca- 
nii,  cum  rem  publicarn  consilio  et  auctoritate  defende- 
bant,  nihil  agebant?  16.  Ad  Appi  Claudi  senectu- 
tem  accedebat  etiam,  ut  caecus  esset;  tamen  is,  cum 
5 sententia  senatus  inclinaret  ad  pacem  cum  Pyrrho 
foedusque  faciendum,  non  dubitavit  dicere  ilia,  quae 
versibus  persecutus  est  Ennius  : 

Quo  vobis  mentes,  rectae  quae  stare  solebant 
Antehac,  dementes  sese  flexere  viai  ? 

10  ceteraque  gravissime ; notum  enim  vobis  carmen  est ; 
et  tamen  ipsius  Appi  exstat  oratio.  Atque  haec  ille 
egit  septimo  decimo  anno  post  alterum  consulatum, 
cum  inter  duos  consulatus  anni  decern  interfuissent 
censorque  ante  superiorem  consulatum  fuisset ; ex  quo 
15  intellegitur  Pyrrhi  bello  grandem  sane  fuisse ; et  tamen 
sic  a patribus  accepimus.  17.  ISTihil  igitur  afferunt, 
qui  in  re  gerenda  versari  senectutem  negant,  similes- 
que  sunt,  ut  si  qui  gubernatorem  in  navigando  nihil 
agere  dicant,  cum  alii  malos  scandant,  alii  per  foros 
20  cursent,  alii  sentinam  exhauriant,  ille  autem  clavum 
tenens  quietus  sedeat  in  puppi.  Non  facit  ea,  quae 
iuvenes,  at  vero  multo  maiora  et  meliora  facit.  Non 
viribus  aut  velocitate  aut  celeritate  corporum  res  mag- 
nae  geruntur,  sed  consilio,  auctoritate,  sententia ; qui- 
25  bus  non  modo  non  orbari,  sed  etiam  augeri  senectus 
solet.  18.  Nisi  forte  ego  vobis,  qui  et  miles  et  tribu- 
nus  et  legatus  et  consul  versatus  sum  in  vario  genere 
bellorum,  cessare  nunc  videor,  cum  bella  non  gero ; 
at  senatui,  quae  sint  gerenda,  praescribo,  et  quo  modo ; 
30  Karthagini  male  iam  diu  cogitanti  bellum  multo  ante 
denuntio;fde  qua  vereri  non  ante  desinam,  quam  illam 


CHAPTERS  VI.,  VII. 


9 


excisam  esse  cognovero.  19.  Quam  palmam  utinam 
di  immortales,  Scipio,  tibi  reservent,  ut  avi  reliquias 
persequare ! cuius  a morte  tertius  hie  et  tricesimus 
annus  est,  sed  memoriam  illius  viri  omnes  excipient 
anni  consequentes.  Anno  ante  me  censorem  mortuus 
est,  novem  annis  post  meum  consulatum,  cum  consul 
iterum  me  consule  creatus  esset.  Num  igitur,  si  ad 
centesimum  annum  vixisset,  senectutis  eum  suae  pae- 
niteret  ? nec  enim  excursione  nec  saltu  nec  eminus 
hastis  aut  com  minus  gladiis  uteretur,  sed  consilio, 
ratione,  sententia.  Quae  nisi  essent  in  senibus,  non 
summum  consilium  maiores  nostri  appellassent  sena- 
tum.  20.  Apud  Lacedaemonios  quidem  ei,  qui  am- 
plissimum  magistratum  gerunt,  ut  sunt,  sic  etiam 
nominantur  senes.  Quodsi  legere  aut  audire  voletis 
externa,  maximas  res  publicas  ab  adulescentibus  labe- 
factatas,  a senibus  sustentatas  et  restitutas  reperietis. 

Cedo,  qui  vestram  rem  publicam  tantam  amisistis  tam  cito  ? 

Sic  enim  percontantur  in  Naevi  poetae  Lupo ; respon- 
dentur  et  alia  et  hoc  in  primis : 

Prov&iiebant  oratores  novf,  stulti,  adulesc^ntuli. 

Temeritas  est  videlicet  florentis  aetatis,  prudentia 
senescentis. 

VII.  21.  At  memoria  minuitur.  Credo,  nisi  earn 
exerceas,  aut  etiam  si  sis  natura  tardior.  Themisto- 
cles  omnium  civium  perceperat  nomina;  num  igitur 
censetis  eum,  cum  aetate  processisset,  qui  Aristides 
esset,  Lysimachum  salutare  solitum  ? Equidem  non 
modo  eos  novi,  qui  sunt,  sed  eorum  patres  etiam  et 
avos,  nec  sepulcra  legens  vereor,  quod  aiunt,  ne  memo- 
riam perdam  ; his  enim  ipsis  legendis  in  memoriam 


5 

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15 

20 

25 

30 


10 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


redeo  mortuorum.  Nec  vero  quemquam  senem  audivi 
oblitum,  quo  loco  thesaurum  obruisset;  omnia,  quae 
curant,  meminerunt,  vadimonia  constituta,  quis  sibi, 
cui  ipsi  debeant.'  22.  Quid  iuris  consulti,  quid  ponti- 
5 fices,  quid  augures,  quid  philosopbi  senes  ? Quam 
multa  meminerunt ! ' Manent  ingenia  senibus,  modo 
permaneat  studium  et  industria,  neque  ea  solum  in 
Claris  et  honoratis  viris,  sed  in  vita  etiam  privata  et 
quieta.  Sophocles  ad  summam  senectutem  tragoedias 
10  fecit ; quod  propter  studium  cum  rem  neglegere  fami- 
liarem  videretur,  a filiis  in  iudicium  vocatus  est,  ut, 
quern  ad  modum  nostro  more  male  rem  gerentibus 
patribus  bonis  interdici  solet,  sic  ilium  quasi  desipi- 
entem  a re  familiari  removerent  iudices.  Turn  senex 
15  dicitur  earn  fabulam,  quam  in  manibus  habebat  et 
proxime  scripserat,  Oedipum  Coloneum,  recitasse  iudi- 
cibus  quaesisseque,  num  illud  carmen  desipientis  vide- 
retur.  Quo  recitato  sententiis  iudicum  est  liberatus. 
23.  Num  igitur  hunc,  num  Homerum,  num  Hesiodum, 
20  Simonidem,  Stesichorum,  num,  quos  ante  dixi,  Iso- 
craten,  Gorgian,  num  philosophorum  principes,  Pytha- 
goram,  Democritum,  num  Platonem,  num  Xenocraten, 
num  postea  Zenonem,  Cleanthem  aut  eum,  quern  vos 
etiam  vidistis  Romae,  Diogenem  Stoicum,  coegit  in 
25  suis  studiis  obmutescere  senectus  ? an  in  omnibus  his 
studiorum  agitatio  vitae  aequalis  fuit  ? | 24.  Age,  ut 
ista  divina  studia  omittamus,  possum  nominare  ex 
agro  Sabino  rusticos  Romanos,  vicinos  et  familiares 
meos,  quibus  absentibus  numquam  fere  ulla  in  agro 
30  maiora  opera  hunt,  non  serendis,  non  percipiendis, 
non  condendis  fructibus.  Quamquam  in  aliis  minus 
hoc  mirum  est ; nemo  enim  est  tarn  senex,  qui  se  an- 


CHAPTERS  VII.,  VIII. 


11 


num  non  putet  posse  vivere ; sed  idem  in  eis  elaborant, 
quae  sciunt  nihil  ad  se  omnino  pertinere : 

Sent  arbor^s,  quae  alteri  saeclo  prdsint, 

ut  ait  Statius  noster  in  Synephebis.  25.  Nec  vero 
dubitat  agricola,  quamvis  sit  senex,  quaerenti,  cui 
serat,  respondere : ‘ Bis  immortalibus , qui  me  non  acci- 
pere  modo  haec  a maioribus  voluerunt , sed  etiam  posteris 
prodere 

VIII.  Et  melius  Caecilius  de  sene  alteri  saeculo 
prospiciente  quam  illud  idem : 

Edep61,  senectus,  si  nil  quicquam  aliud  viti 
Apportes  tecum,  quom  advenis,  unum  Id  sat  est, 

Quod  dlu  vivendo  multa,  quae  non  volt,  videt. 

Et  multa  fortasse,  quae  volt!  atque  in  ea,  quae  non 
volt,  saepe  etiam  adulescentia  incurrit.  Illud  vero 
idem  Caecilius  vitiosius : 

Turn  equidem  m senecta  hoc  ddputo  mis^rrimum, 
Sentire  ea  aetate  ^umpse  esse  odiosum  alteri. 

Iucundum  potius  quam  odiosum.  26.  Ut  enim  adu- 
lescentibus  bona  indole  praeditis  sapientes  senes  de- 
lectantur  leviorque  fit  senectus  eorum,  qui  a iuventute 
coluntur  et  diliguntur,  sic  adulescentes  senum  prae- 
ceptis  gaudent,  quibus  ad  virtutum  studia  ducuntur; 
nec  minus  -intellego  me  vobis  quam  mihi  vos  esse  iu- 
cundos.  Sed  videtis,  ut  senectus  non  modo  languida 
atque  iners  non  sit,  verum  etiam  sit  operosa  et  semper 
agens  aliquid  et  moliens,  tale  scilicet,  quale  cuiusque 
studium  in  superiore  vita  fuit.  Quid  ? qui  etiam 
addiscunt  aliquid  ? ut  et  Solonem  versibus  gloriantem 
videmus,  qui  se  cotidie  aliquid  addiscentem  dicit  senem 


5 

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15 

20 

25 

30 


12 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


fieri,  et  ego  feci,  qui  litteras  Graecas  senex  didici; 
quas  quidem  sic  avide  arripui,  — quasi  diuturnam  sitim 
explere  cupiens,  — ut  ea  ipsa  mihi  nota  essent,  quibus 
me  nunc  exemplis  uti  videtis.  Quod  cum  fecisse  So- 
5 cratem  in  fidibus  audirem,  vellem  equidem  etiam  illud 
(discebant  enim  fidibus  antiqui),  sed  in  litteris  certe 
elaboravi.  * 

IX.  27.  Nec  nunc  quidem  vires  desidero  adules- 
centis  (is  enim  erat  locus  alter  de  vitiis  senectutis), 
io  non  plus  quam  adulescens  tauri  aut  elephanti  desi- 
derabam.  Quod  est,  eo  decet  uti  et,  quicquid  agas, 
agere  pro  viribus.  Quae  enim  vox  potest  esse  con- 
temptior  quam  Milonis  Crotoniatae?  qui  cum  iam 
senex  esset  athletasque  se  exercentes  in  curriculo 
15  videret,  aspexisse  lacertos  suos  dicitur  illacrimansque 
dixisse : ‘At  hi  quidem  mortui  iam  sunt.7  Non  vero 
tarn  isti  quam  tu  ipse,  nugator!  neque  enim  ex  te 
umquam  es  nobilitatus,  sed  ex  lateribus  et  lacertis 
tuis.  Nihil  Sex.  Aelius  tale,  nihil  multis  annis  ante 
20  Ti.  Coruncanius,  nihil  modo  P.  Crassus,  a quibus  iura 
civibus  praescribebantur ; quorum  usque  ad  extremum 
spiritum  est  provecta  prudentia.  \j_28.  Orator  metuo 
ne  languescat  senectute;  est  enim  munus  eius  non 
ingeni  solum,  sed  laterum  etiam  et  virium.  Omnino 
25  canorum  illud  in  voce  splendescit  etiam  nescio  quo 
pacto  in  senectute,  quod  equidem  adhuc  .non  amisi, 
et  videtis  annos ; sed  tamen  est  decorus  senis  sermo 
quietus  et  remissus,  facitque  persaepe  ipsa  sibi  audien- 
tiam  diserti  senis  compta  et  mitis  oratio.  Quam  si 
30  ipse  exsequi  nequeas,  possis  tamen  Scipioni  praecipere 
et  Laelio.  Quid  enim  est  iucundius  senectute  stipata 
studiis  iuventutis  ? 29.  An  ne  illas  quidem  vires 


CHAPTERS  IX.,  X. 


13 


senectuti  relinquimus,  ut  adulescentes  doceat,  instil 
tuat,  ad  omne  offici  mnnus  instruct  ? quo  quidem 
opere  quid  potest  esse  praeclarius  ?/  Mihi  vero  et  Cn. 
et  P.  Scipiones  et  avi  tui  duo,  L.  Aemilius  et  P.  Afri- 
canus,  eomitatu  nobilium  iuvenum  fortunati  videban- 
tur,  nec  ulli  bonarum  artium  magistri  non  beati 
putandi,  quamvis  consenuerint  vires  atque  defecerint. 
Etsi  ista  ipsa  defectio  virium  adulescentiae  vitiis  effi- 
citur  saepius  quam  senectutis ; libidinosa  enim  et  in- 
temperans  adulescentia  effetum  corpus  tradit  senectuti. 
30.  Cyrus  quidem  apud  Xenopliontem  eo  sermone, 
quern  moriens  habuit,  cum  admodum  senex  esset,  negat 
se  umquam  sensisse  senectutem  suam  imbecilliorem 
factam,  quam  adulescentia  fuisset.  Ego  L.  Metellum 
mem  ini  puer,  qui  cum  quadriennio  post  alter um  con- 
sulatum  pontifex  maximus  factus  esset,  viginti  et  duos 
annos  ei  sacerdotio  praefuit,  ita  bonis  esse  viribus 
extremo  tempore  aetatis,  ut  adulescentiam  non  requi- 
reret.  Nihil  necesse  est  mihi  de  me  ipso  dicere, 
quam  quam  est  id  quidem  senile  aetatique  nostrae 
conceditur.  i 

X.  31.  Videtisne,  ut  apud  Homerum  saepissime 
Nestor  de  virtutibus  suis  praedicet  ? Tertiam  iam 
enim  aetatem  hominum  videbat,  nec  erat  ei  veren- 
dum,  ne  vera  praedicans  de  se  nimis  videretur  aut 
insolens  aut  loquax.  Etenim,  ut  ait  Homerus,  ‘ ex 
eius  lingua  melle  dulcior  fluebat  oratio / quam  ad  sua- 
vitatem  nullis  egebat  corporis  viribus.  Et  tamen  dux 
ille  Graeciae  nusquam  optat,  ut  Aiacis  similes  habeat 
decern,  sed  ut  Nestoris ; quod  si  sibi  accident,  non 
dubitat,  quin  brevi  sit  Troia  peritura.  32.  Sed 
redeo  ad  me.  Quartum  ago  annum  et  octogesimum ; 


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15 

20 

25 

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14 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


vellem  equidem  idem  possem  gloriari,  quod  Cyrus,  sed 
tamen  hoc  queo  dicere,  non  me  quidem  eis  esse  viribus, 
quibus  aut  miles  bello  Punico  aut  quaestor  eodem 
bello  aut  consul  in  Hispania  fuerim  aut  quadriennio 
5 post,  cum  tribunus  militaris  depugnavi  apud  Ther- 
mopylas  M\  Glabrione  consule,  sed  tamen,  ut  vos 
videtis,  non  plane  me  enervavit,  non  afilixit  senectus, 
non  curia  vires  meas  desiderat,  non  rostra,  non  amici, 
non  clientes,  non  hospites.  Nec  enim  umquam  sum 
10  assensus  veteri  illi  laudatoque  proverbio,  quod  monet 
mature  fieri  senem,  si  diu  velis  senex  esse.  Ego  vero 
me  minus  diu  senem  esse  mallem  quam  esse  senem, 
ante  quam  essem.  Itaque  nemo  adhuc  convenire  me 
voluit,  cui  fuerim  occupatus.  33.  At  minus  habeo 
15  virium  quam  vestrum  utervis.  Ne  vos  quidem  T. 
Ponti  centurionis  vires  habetis ; num  idcirco  est  ille 
praestantior  ? Moderatio  modo  virium  adsit,  et  tan- 
tum,  quantum  potest  quisque,  nitatur ; ne  ille  non 
magno  desiderio  tenebitur  virium.  Olympiae  per  sta- 
20  dium  ingressus  esse  Milo  dicitur,  cum  umeris  susti- 
neret  bovem.  Utrum  igitur  has  corporis  an  Pythagorae 
tibi  malis  vires  ingeni  darijjr  Denique  isto  bono  utare, 
dum  adsit,  cum  absit,  ne  requiras ; nisi  forte  adules- 
centes  pueritiam,  paululum  aetate  progressi  adules- 
25  centiam  debent  requirere.  Cursus  est  certus  aetatis 
et  una  via  naturae,  eaque  simplex,  suaque  cuique 
parti  aetatis  tempestivitas  est  data,  ut  et  infirmitas 
puerorum  et  ferocitas  iuvenum  et  gra vitas  iam  con- 
stantis  aetatis  et  senectutis  maturitas  naturale  quid- 
30  dam  habeat,  quod  suo  tempore  percipi  debeat. 
34.  Audire  te  arbitror,  Scipio,  hospes  tuus  avitus 
Masinissa  quae  faeiat  hodie  nonaginta  natus  annos; 


CHAPTERS  X.,  XI. 


15 


cum  ingressus  iter  pedibus  sit,  in  equum  omnino  non 
ascendere,  cum  autem  equo,  ex  equo  non  descendere, 
nullo  imbri,  nullo  frigore  adduci,  ut  capite  operto  sit, 
summam  esse  in  eo  siccitatem  corporis,  itaque  omnia 
exsequi  regis  officia  et  munera.  Potest  igitur  exerci- 
tatio  et  temperantia  etiam  in  senectute  conservare 
aliquid  pristini  roboris. 

XI.  Ne  sint  in  senectute  vires.  Ne  postulantur 
quidem  vires  a senectute.  Ergo  et  legibus  et  institutis 
vacat  aetas  nostra  muneribus  eis,  quae  non  possunt 
sine  viribus  sustineri.  Itaque  non  modo,  quod  non 
possumus,  sed  ne  quantum  possumus  quidem  cogimur. 
35.  At  multi  ita  sunt  imbecilli  senes,  ut  nullum  offici 
aut  omnino  vitae  munus  exsequi  possint.  At  id  qui- 
dem non  proprium  senectutis  vitium  est,  sed  commune 
valetudinis.  Quam  fuit  imbecillus  P.  Africani  filius, 
is  qui  te  adoptavit,  quam  tenui  aut  nulla  potius  vale- 
tudine ! Quod  ni  ita  fuisset,  alterum  illud  exstitisset 
lumen  civitatis ; ad  paternam  enim  magnitudinem 
animi  doctrina  uberior  accesserat.  Quid  mirum  igitur 
in  senibus,  si  infirmi  sunt  aliquando,  cum  id  ne  adu- 
lescentes  quidem  effugere  possint  ? Resistendum, 
Laeli  et*  Scipio,  senectuti  est,  eiusque  vitia  diligentia 
compensanda  sunt ; pugnandum  tamquam  contra  mor- 
bum  sic  contra  senectutem  ; 36.  habenda  ratio  valetu- 
dinis ; utendum  exercitationibus  modicis ; tantum  cibi 
et  potionis  adliibendum,  ut  reficiantur  vires,  non  oppri- 
mantur.  Nec  vero  corpori  solum  subveniendum  est, 
sed  menti  atque  animo  multo  magis ; nam  haec  quo- 
que,  nisi  tamquam  lumini  oleum  instilles,  extinguuntur 
senectute.  Et  corpora  quidem  exercitationum  defati- 
gatione  ingravescunt,  animi  autem  exercendo  levantur. 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


16 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


Nam  quos  ait  Caecilius  comicos  stultos  senes,  hos  si g« 
nificat  credulos,  obliviosos,  dissolutos,  quae  vitia  sunt 
non  senectutis,  sed  inertis,  ignavae,  somniculosae  se- 
nectutis.  Ut  petulantia,  ut  libido  magis  est  adule- 
5 scentium  quam  senum,  nec  tamen  omnium  adulescen- 
tium,  sed  non  proborum,  sic  ista  senilis  stultitia,  quae 
deliratio  appellari  solet,  senum  levium  est,  non  om- 
nium. 37.  Quattuor  robustos  filios,  quinque  filias, 
tantam  domum,  tantas  clientelas  Appius  regebat  et 
10  caecus  et  senex ; intentum  enim  animum  tamquam 
arcum  habebat  nec  languescens  succumbebat  senectuti ; 
tenebat  non  modo  auctoritatem,  sed  etiam  imperium 
in  suos,  metuebant  servi,  verebantur  liberi,  carum 
omnes  habebant ; vigebat  in  ilia  domo  patrius  mos  et 
15  disciplina.  38.  Ita  enim  senectus  honesta  est,  si  se 
ipsa  defendit,  si  ius  suum  retinet,  si  nemini  emanci- 
pata  est,  si  usque  ad  ultimum  spiritum  dominatur  in 
suos.  Ut  enim  adulescentem,  in  quo  est  senile  aliquid, 
sic  senem,  in  quo  est  aliquid  adulescentis,  probo ; 
20  quod  qui  sequitur,  corpore  senex  esse  poterit,  animo 
numquam  erit.  Septimus  mihi  liber  Originum  est  in 
manibus,  omnia  antiquitatis  monumenta  colli  go,  cau- 
sarum  illustrium,  quascumque  defendi,  nunc  cum 
maxime  conficio  orationes,  ius  augurium,  pontificium, 
25  civile  tracto,  multum  etiam  Graecis  litteris  utor  Py- 
tbagoreorumque  more,  exercendae  memoriae  gratia, 
quid  quoque  die  dixerim,  audierim,  egerim,  comme- 
moro  vesperi.  Haec  sunt  exercitationes  ingeni,  haec 
curricula  mentis,  in  his  desudans  atque  elaborans  cor- 
30  poris  vires  non  magno  opere  desidero.  Adsum  amicis, 
venio  in  senatum  frequens  ultroque  affero  res  multum 
et  diu  cogitatas  easque  tueor  animi,  non  corporis  viri- 


CHAPTERS  XI.,  XII. 


17 


bus.  Quas  si  exsequi  nequirem,  tamen  me  lectulus 
meus  oblectaret  ea  ipsa  cogitantem,  quae  iam  agere 
non  possem ; sed  ut  possim,  facit  acta  vita.  Semper 
enim  in  his  studiis  laboribusque  viventi  non  intellegi- 
tur  quando  obrepat  senectus.  Ita  sensim  sine  sensu 
aetas  senescit  nec  subito  frangitur,  sed  diuturnitate 
exstinguitur. 

XII.  39.  Sequitur  tertia  vituperatio  senectutis, 
quod  earn  carere  dicunt  voluptatibus.  0 praeclarum 
munus  aetatis,  siquidem  id  aufert  a nobis,  quod  est  in 
adulescentia  vitiosissimum ! Accipite  enim,  optimi 
adulescentes,  veterem  orationem  Archytae  Tarentini, 
magni  in  primis  et  praeclari  viri,  quae  mihi  tradita 
est,  cum  essem  adulescens  Tarenti  cum  Q.  Maximo. 
Nullam  capitaliorem  pestem  quam  voluptatem  corporis 
hominibus  dicebat  a natura  datam,  cuius  voluptatis 
avidae  libidines  temere  et  ecfrenate  ad  potiendum  in- 
citarentur.  40.  Hinc  patriae  proditiones,  bine  rerum 
publicarum  eversiones,  hinc  cum  hostibus  clandestina 
colloquia  nasci,  nullum  denique  scelus,  nullum  malum 
facinus  esse,  ad  quod  suscipiendum  non  libido  volupta- 
tis impeileret,  stupra  vero  et  adulteria  et  omne  tale 
flagitium  nullis  excitari  aliis  illecebris  nisi  voluptatis ; 
cumque  homini  sive  natura  sive  quis  deus  nihil  mente 
praestabilius  dedisset,  huic  divino  muneri  ac  dono  nihil 
tam  esse  inimicum  quam  voluptatem  ; 41.  nec  enim 
libidine  dominante  temperantiae  locum  esse,  neque  om- 
nino  in  voluptatis  regno  virtutem  posse  consistere. 
Quod  quo  magis  intellegi  posset,  fingere  animo  iube- 
bat  tanta  incitatum  aliquem  voluptate  corporis,  quanta 
percipi  posset  maxima ; nemini  censebat  fore  dubium, 
quin  tam  diu,  dum  ita  gauderet,  nihil  agitare  mente, 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


18 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


nihil  ratione,  nihil  cogitatione  conseqni  posset.  Quck 
circa  nihil  esse  tain  detestabile  tamque  pestiferum 
quam  voluptatem,  siquidem  ea,  cum  maior  esset  atque 
longinquior,  omne  animi  lumen  exstingueret.  Haec 
5 cum  C.  Pontio  Samnite,  patre  eius,  a quo  Caudino 
proelio  Sp.  Postumius,  T.  Yeturius  consules  superati 
sunt,  locutum  Archytam  Nearchus  Tarentinus  hospes 
noster,  qui  in  amicitia  populi  Romani  permanserat,  se 
a maioribus  natu  accepisse  dicebat,  cum  quidem  ei 
10  sermoni  interfuisset  Plato  Atheniensis,  quern  Taren- 
tum  venisse  L.  Camillo,  Ap.  Claudio  consulibus  reperio. 
42.  Quorsus  hoc  ? Ut  intellegeretis,  si  voluptatem 
aspernari  ratione  et  sapientia  non  possemus,  magnam 
habendam  esse  senectuti  gratiam,  quae  efficeret,  ut  id 
15  non  liberet,  quod  non  oporteret.  Impedit  enim  con- 
silium voluptas,  rationi  inimica  est,  mentis,  ut  ita 
dicam,  praestringit  oculos  nec  habet  ullum  cum  virtute 
commercium.  Invitus  feci,  ut  fortissimi  viri  T.  Fla- 
minini  fratrem,  L.  Flamininum,  e senatu  eicerem 
20  septem  annis  post,  quam  consul  fuisset,  sed  notandam 
putavi  libidinem.  Ille  enim,  cum  esset  consul  in 
Gallia,  exoratus  in  convivio  a scorto  est,  ut  securi 
feriret  aliquem  eorum,  qui  in  vinculis  essent  damnati 
rei  capitalis.  Flic  Tito  fratre  suo  censore,  qui  proxi- 
25  mus  ante  me  fuerat,  elapsus  est ; mihi  vero  et  Flacco 
neutiquam  proban  potuit  tarn  flagitiosa  et  tarn  perdita 
libido,  quae  cum  probro  privato  coniungeret  imperi 
dedecus. 

XIII.  43.  Saepe  audivi  ex  maioribus  natu,  qui  se 
30  porro  pueros  a senibus  audisse  dicebant,  mirari  solitum 
C.  Fabricium,  quod,  cum  apud  regem  Pyrrhum  legatus 
esset,  audisset  a Thessalo  Cinea  esse  quendam  Athenis, 


CHAPTERS  XII.,  XIII. 


19 


qui  se  sapientem  profiteretur,  eumque  dicere  omnia, 
quae  faceremus,  ad  voluptatem  esse  referenda.  Quod 
ex  eo  audientes  M\  Curium  et  Ti.  Coruncanium  optare 
solitos,  ut  id  Samnitibus  ipsique  Pyrrho  persuaderetur, 
quo  facilius  vinci  possent,  cum  se  voluptatibus  dedis-  5 
sent.  CVixerat  JVP.  Curius  cum  P.  Decio,  qui  quin- 
quennio  ante  eum  consulem  se  pro  re  publica  quarto 
consulatu  devoverat;  norat  eundem  Fabricius,  norat 
Coruncanius ; qui  cum  ex  sua  vita,  turn  ex  eius,  quern 
dico,  Deci,  facto  iudicabant  esse  profecto  aliquid  natura  10 
pulchrum  atque  praeclarum,  quod  sua  sponte  peteretur, 
quodque  spreta  et  contempta  voluptate  optimus  quis- 
que  sequeretur.  44.  Quorsus  igitur  tarn  multa  de 
voluptate  ? (jf  Quia-  non  modo  vituperatio  nulla,  sed 
etiam  summa  laus  senectutis  est,  quod  ea  voluptates  15 
nullas  magnopere  desiderat.  Caret  epulis  exstructis- 
que  mensis  et  frequentibus  poculis,  caret  ergo  etiam 
vinulentia  et  cruditate  et  insomniis.  Sed  si  aliquid 
dandum  est  voluptati,  quoniam  eius  blanditiis  non 
facile  obsistimus  (divine  enim  Plato  escam  malorum  20 
appellat  voluptatem,  quod  ea  videlicet  homines  capi- 
antur  ut  pisces),  quamquam  immoderatis  epulis  caret 
senectus,  modicis  tamen  conviviis  delectari  potest. 

C.  Duellium  M.  F.,  qui  Poenos  classe  primus  device- 
rat, redeuntem  a cena  senem  saepe  videbam  puer;  25 
delectabatur  cereo  funali  et  tibicine,  quae  sibi  nullo 
exemplo  privatus  sumpserat;  tantum  licentiae  dabat 
gloria.  45.  Sed  quid  ego  alios  ? ad  me  ipsum  iam 
revertar.  Primum  habui  semper  sodales.  Sodalitates 
autem  Magnae  Matris  me  quaestore  constitutae  sunt  30 
sacris  Idaeis  acceptis.  Epulabar  igitur  cum  sodali- 
bus  omnino  modice,  sed  erat  quidam  fervor  aetatis ; 


20 


CATO  MAIOR  T)E  SENECTUTE 


qua  progrediente  omnia  hunt  in  dies  mitiora.  Xeque 
enim  ipsorum  conviviorum  delectationem  voluptatibus 
corporis  magis  quam  coetu  amicorum  et  sermonibus 
metiebar.  Bene  enim  maiores  accubitionem  epularem 
5 amicorum,  quia  vitae  coniunctionem  haberet,  convi- 
vium  nominaverunt,  melius  quam  Graeci,  qui  hoc 
idem  turn  compotationem,  turn  concenationem  vocant, 
ut,  quod  in  eo  genere  minimum  est,  id  maxime  probare 
videantur. 

10  XIV.  46.  Ego  vero  propter  sermonis  delectationem 
tempestivis  quoque  conviviis  delector,  nec  cum  aequa- 
libus  solum,  qui  pauci  admodum  restant,  sed  cum  vestra 
etiam  aetate  atque  vobiscum,  habeoque  senectuti  mag- 
nam  gratiam,  quae  mihi  sermonis  aviditatem  auxit, 
15  potionis  et  cibi  sustulit.  Quodsi  quern  etiam  ista  de- 
lectant  (ne  omnino  bellum  indixisse  videar  voluptati, 
cuius  est  fortasse  quidam  naturalis  modus),  non  intel- 
lego  ne  in  istis  quidem  ipsis  voluptatibus  carere  sensu 
senectutem.  Me  vero  et  magisteria  delectant  a maio- 
20  ribus  instituta  et  is  sermo,  qui  more  maiorum  a summo 
adhibetur  in  poculo,  et  pocula,  sicut  in  Symposio  Xe- 
nophontis  est,  minuta  atque  rorantia,  et  refrigeratio 
aestate  et  vicissim  aut  sol  aut  ignis  hibernus;  quae 
quidem  etiam  in  Sabinis  persequi  soleo  conviviumque 
25  vicinorum  cotidie  compleo,  quod  ad  multam  noctem, 
quam  maxime  possumus,  vario  sermone  producimus. 
47.  At  non  est  voluptatum  tanta  quasi  titillatio  in 
senibus.  Credo,  sed  ne  desideratio  quidem ; nihil 
autem  est  molestum,  quod  non  desideres.  Bene  So- 
30  phocles,  cum  ex  eo  quidam  iam  affecto  aetate  quaere- 
ret,  utereturne  rebus  veneriis : ‘ Di  meliora !’  inquit; 
‘ libenter  vero  istinc  sicut  ah  domino  agresti  ac  f arioso 


CHAPTERS  XIII.,  XIV. 


21 


profugi .*  Cupidis  enim  rerum  talium  odiosum  fortasse 
et  molestum  est  carere,  satiatis  vero  et  expletis  iucun- 
dius  est  carere  quam  frui.  Quamcpiam  non  caret  is 
qui  non  desiderat ; ergo  hoc  non  desiderare  dico  esse 
iucundius.  48.  Quodsi  istis  ipsis  voluptatibus  bona 
aetas  fruitur  libentius,  primum  parvulis  fruitur  rebus, 
ut  diximus,  deinde  eis,  quibus  senectus,  etiamsi  non 
abunde  potitur,  non  omnino  caret.  Ut  Turpione  Am- 
bivio  magis  delectatur,  qui  in  prima  cavea  spectat,  de- 
lectatur  tamen  etiam,  qui  in  ultima,  sic  adulescentia 
voluptates  propter  intuens  magis  fortasse  laetatur,  sed 
delectatur  etiam  senectus  procul  eas  spectans  tantum 
quantum  sat  est.  —49.  At  ilia  quanti  sunt,  animum 
tamquam  emeritis  stipendiis  libidinis,  ambitionis,  con- 
tentions, inimicitiarum,  cupiditatum  omnium  secum 
esse  secumque,  ut  dicitur,  vivere ! Si  vero  habet  ali- 
quod  tamquam  pabulum  studi  atque  doctrinae,  nihil 
est  otiosa  senectute  iucundius.  Exerceri  videbamus 
in  studio  dimetiendi  paene  caeli  atque  terrae  C.  Galium, 
familiarem  patris  tui,  Scipio ; quotiens  ilium  lux  noctu 
aliquid  describere  ingressum,  quotiens  nox  oppressit, 
cum  mane  coepisset ! quam  delectabat  eum  defectio- 
nes  solis  et  lunae  multo  ante  nobis  praedicere ! 
50.  Quid  in  levioribus  studiis,  sed  tamen  acutis  ? 
quam  gaudebat  bello  suo  Punico  Naevius ! quam  Tru- 
culento  Plautus,  quam  Pseudolo ! Vidi  etiam  senem 
Tuvium ; qui  cum  sex  annis  ante  quam  ego  natus  sum, 
fabulam  docuisset  Centone  Tuditanoque  consulibus, 
usque  ad  adulescentiam  meam  processit  aetate.  Quid 
de  P.  Licini  Crassi  et  pontificii  et  civilis  iuris  studio 
loquar  aut  de  huius  P.  Scipionis,  qui  his  paucis  die- 
bus  pontifex  maximus  factus  est  ? Atque  eos  omnes, 


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15 

20 

25 

30 


22 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


quos  commemoravi,  his  studiis  flagrantes  senes  vidi- 
mus ; M.  vero  Cethegum,  quem  recte  ‘ Suadae  medul- 
lam ? dixit  Ennius,  quanto  studio  exerceri  in  dicendo 
videbamus  etiam  senem  ! Quae  sunt  igitur  epularum 
5 aut  ludorum  aut  scortorum  voluptates  cum  his  volup- 
tatibus  comparandae  ? Atque  haec  quidem  studia 
doctrinae ; quae  quidem  prudentibus  et  bene  institutis 
pariter  cum  aetate  crescunt,  ut  honestum  illud  Solonis 
sit,  quod  ait  versiculo  quodam,  ut  ante  dixi,  senescere 
10  se  multa  in  dies  addiscentem,  qua  voluptate  animi 
nulla  certe  potest  esse  maior. 

XV.  51.  Venio  nunc  ad  voluptates  agricolarum, 
quibus  ego  incredibiliter  delector;  quae  nec  ulla  im- 
pediuntur  senectute  et  mihi  ad  sapientis  vitam  proxime 
15  videntur  accedere.  Habent  enim  rationem  cum  terra, 
quae  numquam  recusat  imperium  nec  umquam  sine 
usura  reddit,  quod  accepit,  sed  alias  minore,  plerumque 
maiore  cum  faenore.  Quamquam  me  quidem  non 
fructus  modo,  sed  etiam  ipsius  terrae  vis  ac  natura 
20  delectat.  Quae  cum  gremio  mollito  ac  subacto  spar- 
sum  semen  excepit,  primum  id  occaecatum  cohibet, 
ex  quo  occatio,  quae  hoc  efficit,  nominata  est,  deinde 
tepefactum  vapore  et  compressu  suo  diffundit  et  elicit 
herbescentem  ex  eo  viriditatem,  quae  nixa  fibris  stir- 
25  pium  sensim  adulescit  culmoque  erecta  geniculato 
vaginis  iam  quasi  pubescens  includitur ; e quibus 
cum  emersit,  fundit  frugem  spici  ordine  structam  et 
contra  avium  minorum  morsus  munitur  vallo  arista- 
rum.  52.  Quid  ego  vitium  ortus,  satus,  incrementa 
30  commemorem  ? Satiari  delectatione  non  possum,  ut 
meae  senectutis  requietem  oblectamentumque  noscatis. 
Omitto  enim  vim  ipsam  omnium,  quae  generantur  e 


CHAPTERS  XIV.,  XV. 


23 


terra ; quae  ex  fici  tantulo  grano  aut  ex  acini  vinaceo 
aut  ex  ceterarum  frugum  aut  stirpium  minutissimis 
seminibus  tantos  tr uncos  ramosque  procreet.  Malleoli, 
plantae,  sarmenta,  viviradices,  propagines  nonne  effi- 
ciunt,  ut  quemvis  cum  admiratione  delectent?  Yitis 
quidem,  quae  natura  caduca  est  et,  nisi  fulta  est,  fertur 
ad  terrain,  eadem,  ut  se  erigat,  claviculis  suis  quasi 
manibus,  quicquid  est  nacta,  complectitur ; quam  ser- 
pentem  multiplici  lapsu  et  erratico  ferro  amputans 
coercet  ars  agricolarum,  ne  silvescat  sarmentis  et  in 
omnes  partes  nimia  fundatur.  53.  Itaque  ineunte 
vere  in  eis,  quae  relicta  sunt,  exsistit  tarn  quam  ad 
articulos  sarmentorum  ea,  quae  gemma  dicitur,  a qua 
oriens  uva  se  ostendit,  quae  et  suco  terrae  et  calore 
solis  augescens  primo  est  peracerba  gustatu,  dein 
maturata  dulcescit  vestitaque  pampinis  nec  modico 
tepore  caret  et  nimios  solis  defendit  ardores.  Qua 
quid  potest  esse  cum  fructu  laetius,  turn  aspectu  pul- 
chrius  ? Cuius  quidem  non  utilitas  me  solum,  ut  ante 
dixi,  sed  etiam  cultura  et  natura  ipsa  delectat,  admini- 
culorum  ordines,  capitum  iugatio,  religatio  et  propa- 
gatio  vitium,  sarmentorum  ea,  quam  dixi,  aliorum 
amputatio,  aliorum  immissio.  Quid  ego  irrigationes, 
quid  fossiones  agri  repastinationesque  proferam,  qui- 
bus  fit  multo  terra  fecundior  ? quid  de  utilitate  loquar 
stercorandi  ? )f54.  Dixi  in  eo  libro,  quern  de  rebus  rus- 
ticis  scripsi ; de  qua  doctus  Hesiodus  ne  verbum  qui- 
dem fecit,  cum  de  cultura  agri  scriberet.  At  Homerus, 
qui  multis,  ut  mihi  videtur,  ante  saeculis  fuit,  Laertam 
lenientem  desiderium,  quod  capiebat  e filio,  colentem 
agrum  et  eum  stercorantem  facit.  Nec  vero  segetibus 
solum  et  pratis  et  vineis  et  arbustis  res  rusticae  laetae 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


24 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


sunt,  sed  hortis  etiam  et  pomariis,  turn  pecudum  pastu, 
apium  examinibus,  florum  omnium  varietate.  Nec 
consitiones  modo  delectant,  sed  etiam  insitiones,  quibus 
nihil  invenit  agri  cultura  sollertius. 

5 XVI.  55.  Possum  persequi  permulta  oblectamenta 
rerum  rusticarum,  sed  ea  ipsa,  quae  dixi,  sentio  fuisse 
longiora.  Ignoscetis  autem  ; nam  et  studio  rusticarum 
rerum  provectus  sum,  et  senectus  est  natura  loquacior, 
ne  ab  omnibus  earn  vitiis  videar  vindicare.  Ergo  in 
10  hac  vita  M\  Curius,  cum  de  Samnitibus,  de  Sabinis, 
de  Pyrrho  triumphasset,  consumpsit  extremum  tempus 
aetatis.  Cuius  quidem  ego  villam  contemplans  (abest 
enim  non  longe  a mea)  admirari  satis  non  possum  vel 
hominis  ipsius  continentiam  vel  temporum  disciplinam. 
15  Curio  ad  focum  sedenti  magnum  auri  pondus  Samnites 
cum  attulissent,  repudiati  sunt;  non  enim  aurum  ha- 
bere praeclarum  sibi  videri  dixit,  sed  eis,  qui  haberent 
aurum,  imperare.  56.  Poteratne  tantus  animus  effi- 
cere  non  iucundam  senectutem  ? Sed  venio  ad  agri- 
20  colas,  ne  a me  ipso  recedam.  In  agris  erant  turn 
senatores,  id  est  senes,  siquidem  aranti  L.  Quinctio 
Cincinnato  nuntiatum  est  eum  dictatorem  esse  factum ; 
cuius  dictatoris  iussu  magister  equitum  C.  Servilius 
Ahala  Sp.  Maelium  regnum  appetentem  occupatum 
25  interemit.  A villa  in  senatum  arcessebatur  et  Curius 
et  ceteri  senes,  ex  quo,  qui  eos  arcessebant,  viatores 
nominati  sunt.  Num  igitur  horum  senectus  misera- 
bilis  fuit,  qui  se  agri  cultione  oblectabant  ? Mea  qui- 
dem sententia  haud  scio  an  nulla  beatior  possit  esse, 
30  neque  solum  officio,  quod  hominum  generi  universo 
cultura  agrorum  est  salutaris,  sed  et  delectatione,  quam 
dixi,  et  saturitate  copiaque  rerum  omnium,  quae  ad 


CHAPTERS  XV.-XVII. 


25 


victum  hominum,  ad  cultum  etiam  deorum  pertinent, 
ut,  quoniam  haec  quidam  desiderant,  in  gratiam  iam 
cum  voluptate  redeamus.  Semper  enim  boni  assidui- 
que  domini  referta  cella  vinaria,  olearia,  etiam  penaria 
est,  villaque  tota  locuples  est,  abundat  porco,  haedo, 
agno,  gallina,  lacte,  caseo,  melle.  Iam  liortum  ipsi 
agricolae  succidiam  alteram  appellant.  Conditiora 
facit  haec  supervacaneis  etiam  operis  aucupium  atque 
venatio.  57.  Quid  de  pratorum  viriditate  aut  arbo- 
rum  ordinibus  aut  vinearum  olivetorumve  specie  plura 
dicam  ? brevi  praecidam  : Agro  bene  culto  nihil  potest 
esse  nec  usu  uberius  nec  specie  ornatius ; ad  quern 
fruendum  non  modo  non  retardat,  verum  etiam  invitat 
atque  allectat  senectus.  Ubi  enim  potest  ilia  aetas 
aut  calescere  vel  apricatione  melius  vel  igni  aut  vicis- 
sim  umbris  aquisve  refrigerari  salubrius?  58.  Sibi 
habeant  igitur  arma,  sibi  equos,  sibi  hastas,  sibi  cla- 
vam  et  pilam,  sibi  natationes  atque  cursus,  nobis  seni- 
bus  ex  lusionibus  multis  talos  relinquant  et  tesseras, 
— id  ipsum  ut  lube  bit,  quoniam  sine  eis  beata  esse 
senectus  potest. 

XVII.  59.  Multas  ad  res  perutiles  Xenophontis 
libri  sunt;  quos  legite,  quaeso,  studiose,  ut  facitis. 
Quam  copiose  ab  eo  agri  cultura  laudatur  in  eo  libro, 
qui  est  de  tuenda  re  familiari,  qui  Oeconomicus  inscri- 
bitur  ! Atque  ut  intellegatis  nihil  ei  tarn  regale  videri 
quam  studium  agri  colendi,  Socrates  in  eo  libro  loqui- 
tur cum  Critobulo  Cyrum  minorem,  Persarum  regem, 
praestantem  ingenio  atque  imperi  gloria,  cum  Ly San- 
der Lacedaemonius,  vir  summae  virtutis,  venisset  ad 
eum  Sardis  eique  dona  a sociis  attulisset,  et  ceteris  in 
rebus  comem  erga  Lysandrum  atque  humanum  fuisse 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


26 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


et  ei  quendam  consaeptum  agrum  diligenter  consitum 
ostendisse.  \Cum  autem  admiraretur  Lysander  et  pro- 
ceritates  arborum  et  directos  in  quincuncem  ordines  et 
humum  subactam  atque  puram  et  suavitatem  odorum, 
5 qui  afflarentur  ex  floribus,  turn  eum  dixisse  mirari  se 
non  modo  diligentiam,  sed  etiam  sollertiam  eius,  a quo 
essent  ilia  dimensa  atque  discripta ; et  Cyrum  respon- 
disse : ‘ Atqui  ego  ista  sum  omnia  dimensus ; mei  sunt 
ordines , mea  discriptio , multae  etiam  istarum  arborum 
10  mea  manu  sunt  satae.’  Turn  Lysandrum  intuentem 
purpuram  eius  et  nitorem  corporis  ornatumque  Persi- 
cum  multo  auro  multisque  gernmis  dixisse : c Bite  vero 
te , Cyre , beatum  ferunt,  quoniam  virtuti  tuae  fortuna 
coniuncta  est.’  60.  Hac  igitur  fortuna  frui  licet  seni- 
15  bus,  nec  aetas  impedit,  quo  minus  et  ceterarum  rerum 
et  in  primis  agri  colendi  studia  teneamus  usque  ad 
ultimum  tempus  senectutis.  M.  quidem  Valeri um 
Corvinum  accepimus  ad  centesimum  annum  perdux- 
isse,  cum  esset,  acta  iam  aetate,  in  agris  eosque  coleret; 
20  cuius  inter  primuin  et  sextum  consulatum  sex  et 
quadraginta  anni  interfuerunt.  Ita,  quantum  spatium 
aetatis  maiores  ad  senectutis  initium  esse  voluerunt, 
tantus  illi  cursus  honorum  fuit ; atque  huius  extrema 
aetas  hoc  beatior  quam  media,  quod  auctoritatis  habe- 
25  bat  plus,  laboris  minus  ; apex  est  autem  senectutis 
auctoritas.  61.  Quanta  fuit  in  L.  Caecilio  Metello, 
quanta  in  A.  Atilio  Calatino  ! in  quern  illud  elogium : 

Hunc  unum  plurimae  consentiunt  gentes 
Populi  primarium  fuisse  virum. 

3oNotum  est  totum  carmen  incisum  in  sepulcro.  lure 
igitur  gravis,  cuius  de  laudibus  omnium  esset  fama  con- 


CHAPTERS  XVII.,  XVIII. 


27 


sentiens.  Quem  virum  nuper  P.  Crassum,  pontificem 
maximum,  quem  postea  M.  Lepidum,  eodem  sacerdo- 
tio  praeditum,  vidimus  ! Quid  de  Paulo  aut  Africano 
loquar  aut,  ut  iam  ante,  de  Maximo  ? quorum  non  in 
sententia  solum,  sed  etiam  in  nutu  residebat  auctoritas. 
Habet  senectus  honorata  praesertim  tantam  auctori- 
tatem,  ut  ea  pluris  sit  quam  omnes  adulescentiae 
voluptates. 

. XVIII.  62.  Sed  in  omni  oratione  mementote  earn 
me  senectutem  laudare,  quae  fundamentis  adulescen- 
tiae constituta  sit.  Ex  quo  efficitur,  id  quod  ego 
magno  quondam  cum  assensu  omnium  dixi,  miseram 
esse  senectutem,  quae  se  oratione  defenderet.  Non 
cani  nec  rugae  repente  auctoritatem  arripere  possunt, 
sed  honeste  acta  superior  aetas  fructus  capit  auctori- 
tatis  extremos.  63.  Haec  enim  ipsa  sunt  honorabilia, 
quae  videntur  levia  atque  communia,  salutari,  appeti, 
decedi,  assurgi,  deduci,  reduci,  consuli;  quae  et  apud 
nos  et  in  aliis  civitatibus,  ut  quaeque  optime  morata 
est,  ita  diligentissime  observantur.  Lysandrum  Lace- 
daemonium,  cuius  modo  feci  mentionem,  dicere  aiunt 
solitum  Lacedaemonem  esse  honestissimum  domicilium 
senectutis  ; nusquam  enim  tantum  tribuitur  aetati,  nus- 
quam  est  senectus  honoratior.  Quin  etiam  memoriae 
proditum  est,  cum  Athenis  ludis  quidam  in  theatrum 
grandis  natu  venisset,  magno  consessu  locum  nusquam 
ei  datum  a suis  civibus  ; cum  autem  ad  Lacedaemonios 
accessisset,fqui  legati  cum  essent,  certo  in  loco  conse- 
derantj  r -‘surrexisse  omnes  illi  dicun tur  et  senem 
sessurn  recepisse.  64.  Quibus  cum  a cuncto  consessu 
plausus  esset  multiplex  datus,  dixisse  ex  eis  quendam 
Athenienses  scire,  quae  recta  essent,  sed  facere  nolle. 


5 

} 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


28 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


Multa  in  vestro  collegio  praeclara,  sed  hoc,  de  quo 
agimus,  in  primis,  quod,  ut  quisque  aetate  antecedit, 
ita  sententiae  principatum  tenet,  neque  solum  honore 
antecedentibus,  sed  eis  etiam,  qui  cum  imperio  sunt, 
5 maiores  natu  augures  anteponuntur.  Quae  sunt  igitur 
voluptates  corporis  cum  auctoritatis  praemiis  compa- 
randae  ? quibus  qui  splendide  usi  sunt,  ei  mihi  viden- 
tur  fabulam  aetatis  peregisse  nec  tamquam  inexercitati 
histriones  in  extremo  actu  corruisse. 

10  65.  At  sunt  morosi  et  anxii  et  iracundi  et  difficiles 

senes.  Si  quaerimus,  etiam  avari;  sed  haec  morum 
vitia  • sunt,  non  senectutis.  Ac  morositas  tamen  et  ea 
vitia,  quae  dixi,  habent  aliquid  excusationis  non  illius 
quidem  iustae,  sed  quae  probari  posse  videatur ; con- 
15  temni  se  putant,  despici,  illudi;  praeterea  in  fragili 
corpore  odiosa  omnis  offensio  est.  Quae  tamen  omnia 
dulciora  hunt  et  moribus  bonis  et  artibus,  idque  cum 
in  vita,  turn  in  scaena  intellegi  potest  ex  eis  fratribus, 
qui  in  Adelphis  sunt.  Quanta  in  altero  diritas,  in 
20  altero  comitas ! Sic  se  res  habet : ut  enim  non  omne 
vinum,  sic  non  omnis  natura  vetustate  coacescit.  3e- 
veritatem  in  senectute  probo,  sed  earn,  sicut  alia,  modi- 
cam,  acerbitatem  nullo  modo.  66.  Avaritia  vero 
senilis  quid  sibi  velit,  non  intellego ; potest  enim  quic- 
25  quam  esse  absurdius  quam,  quo  viae  minus  restet,  eo 
plus  viatici  quaerere  ? > 

XIX.  Quarta  restat  causa,  quae  maxime  angere 
atque  sollicitam  habere  nostram  aetatem  videtur, 
appropinquatio  mortis,  quae  certe  a senectute  non 
30  potest  esse  longe.  0 miserum  senem,  qui  mortem 
contemnendam  esse  in  tarn,  longa  aetate  non  viderit ! 
quae  aut  plane  neglegenda  est,  si  omnino  exstinguit 


CHAPTERS  XVIII.,  XIX. 


29 


animum,  aut  etiam  optanda,  si  aliquo  eum  deducit, 
ubi  sit  futurus  aeternus.  67.  Atqui  tertium  certe  nihil 
inveniri  potest;  quid  igitur. timeam,  si  aut  non  miser 
post  mortem  aut  beatus  etiam  futurus  sum  ? Quam- 
quam  quis  est  tarn  stultus,  quamvis  sit  adulescens,  cui  5 
sit  exploratum  se  ad  vesperum  esse  victurum  ? Quin 
etiam  aetas  ilia  multo  plures  quam  nostra  casus  mortis 
habet ; facilius  in  morbos  incidunt  adulescentes,  gra- 
yius  aegrotant,  tristius  curantur.  Itaque  pauci  veni- 
unt  ad  senectutem ; quod  ni  ita  accideret,  melius  et  10 
prudentius  viveretur.  Mens  enim  et  ratio  et  consilium 
in  senibus  est ; qui  si  nulli  fuissent,  nullae  omnino 
civitates  fuissent.  Sed  redeo  ad  mortem  impendentem. 
Quod  est  istud  crimen  senectutis,  cum  id  ei  videatis 
cum  adulescentia  esse  commune  ? 68.  Sensi  ego  in  is 

optimo  filio,  tu  in  exspectatis  ad  amplissimam  dignita- 
tem fratribus,  Scipio,  mortem  omni  aetati  esse  commu- 
nem.  At  sperat  adulescens  diu  se  victurum,  quod 
sperare  idem  senex  non  potest.  Insipienter  sperat. 
Quid  enim  stultius  quam  incerta  pro  certis  habere,  falsa  20 
pro  veris?  At  senex  ne  quod  speret  quidem  habet 
At  est  eo  meliore  condicione  quam  adulescens,  quo- 
niam  id,  quod  ille  sperat,  hie  consecutus  est ; ille  vult 
diu  vivere,  hie  diu  vixit.  69.  Quam  quam,  o di  boni ! 
quid  est  in  hominis  natura  diu  ? Da  enim  summum  25 
tempus,  exspectemus  Tartessiorum  regis  aetatem  (fuit 
enim,  ut  scriptum  video,  Arganthonius  quidam  Gadi- 
bus,  qui  octoginta  regnavit  annos,  centum  viginti 
vixit)  — sed  mihi  ne  diuturnum  quidem  quicquam 
videtur,  in  quo  est  aliquid  extremum.  Cum  enim  id  30 
advenit,  turn  illud,  quod  praeteriit,  effluxit ; tantum 
remanet,  quod  virtute  et  recte  factis  consecutus  sis  ; 


30 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


horae  quidem  cedunt  et  dies  et  menses  et  anni,  nec 
praeteritum  tempus  umquam  revertitur,  nec,  quid  se- 
quatur,  sciri  potest ; quod  cuique  temporis  ad  viven- 
dum  datur,  eo  debet  esse  contentus.  70.  Neque  enim 
5 histrioni,  ut  placeat,  peragenda  fabula  est,  modo,  in 
quocuinque  fuerit  actu,  probetur,  neque  sapienti  usque 
ad  ‘Plaudite’  veniendum  est.  Breve  enim  tempus 
aetatis  satis  longum  est  ad  bene  honesteque  vivendum ; 
sin  processerit  longius,  non  magis  dolendum  est,  quam 
10  agricolae  dolent  praeterita  verni  temporis  suavitate 
aestatem  autumnumque  venisse.  Ver  enim  tamquam 
adulescentiam  significat  ostenditque  fructus  futuros, 
reliqua  autem  tempora  demetendis  fructibus  et  perci- 
piendis  accommodata  sunt.  71.  Fructus  autem  se- 
15  nectutis  est,  ut  saepe  dixi,  ante  partorum  bonorum 
memoria  et  copia.  Omnia  autem,  quae  secundum 
naturam  fiunt,  sunt  habenda  in  bonis.  Quid  est  autem 
tarn  secundum  naturam  quam  senibus  emori  ? quod 
idem  contingit  adulescentibus  adversante  et  repug- 
20  nante  natura.  Itaque  adulescentes  mihi  mori  sic 
videntur,  ut  cum  aquae  multitudine  flammae  vis  oppri- 
mitur,  senes  autem  sic,  ut  cum  sua  sponte  nulla  adhi- 
bita  vi  consumptus  ignis  exstinguitur ; et  quasi  poma 
ex  arboribus,  cruda  si  sunt,  vi  evelluntur,  si  matura 
25  et  cocta,  decidunt,  sic  vitam  adulescentibus  vis  aufert, 
senibus  maturitas ; quae  quidem  mihi  tarn  iucunda 
est,  ut,  quo  propius  ad  mortem  accedam,  quasi  terrain 
videre  videar  aliquandoque  in  portum  ex  longa  navi- 
gation esse  venturus. 

30  XX.  72.  Senectutis  autem  nullus  est  certus  termi- 
nus, recteque  in  ea  vivitur,  quoad  munus  offici  exsequi 
et  tueri  possis  mortemque  contemnere ; ex  quo  fit,  ut 


CHAPTERS  XIX.,  XX. 


31 


animosior  etiam  senectus  sit  quam  adulescentia  et  for- 
tior.  Hoc  illucL  est,  quod  Pisistrato  tyranno  a Solone 
responsum  est,  cum  illi  quaerenti,  qua  tandem  re  fre- 
tus  sibi  tarn  audaciter  obsisteret,  respondisse  dicitur ; 
‘Senectute.’  Sed  vivendi  est  finis  optimus,  cum  inte- 
gra  mente  certisque  sensibus  opus  ipsa  suum  eadem, 
quae  coagmentavit,  natura  dissolvit.  Ut  navem,  ut 
aedificium  idem  destruit  facillime,  qui  construxit,  sic 
hominem  eadem  optime,  quae  conglutinavit,  natura 
dissolvit.  Iam  omnis  conglutinatio  recens  aegre,  in- 
veterata  facile  divellitur.  Ita  fit,  ut  illud  breve  vitae 
reliquum  nec  avide  appetendum  senibus  nec  sine  causa 
deserendum  sit;  73.  vetatque  Pythagoras  iniussu  im- 
peratoris,  id  est  dei,  de  praesidio  et  statione  vitae  de- 
cedere.  Solonis  quidem  sapientis  elogium  est,  quo  se 
negat  velle  suam  mortem  dolore  amicorum  et  lamentis 
vacare.  Vult,  credo,  se  esse  carum  suis ; sed  haud 
scio  an  melius  Ennius : 

Nemo  me  dacrumis  decoret  neque  funera  fletu 
Faxit. 

Non  censet  lugendam  esse  mortem,  quam  immortalitas 
consequatur.  f*  74.  Iam  sensus  moriendi  aliquis  esse 
potest,  isque  ad  exiguum  tempus,  praesertim  seni,  post 
mortem  quidem  sensus  aut  optandus  aut  nullus  est. 
Sed  hoc  meditatum  ab  adulescentia  debet  esse,  mortem 
ut  neglegamus,  sine  qua  meditatione  tranquillo  animo 
esse  nemo  potest.  Moriendum  enim  certe  est,  et  in- 
certum  an  hoc  ipso  die.  Mortem  igitur  omnibus  horis 
impendentem  timens  qui  poterit  animo  consistere  ? 
De  qua  non  ita  longa  disputatione  opus  esse  videtur, 
cum  recorder  non  L.  Brutum,  qui  in  liberanda  patria 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


32 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


est  interfectus,v  75.  non  duos  Decios,  qui  ad  volunta- 
riam  mortem  cursum  equorum  incitaverunt,  non  M. 
Atilium,  qui  ad  supplicium  est  profectus,  ut  fidem 
hosti  datam  conservaret,  non  duos  Scipiones,  qui  iter 
5 Poenis  vel  corporibus  suis  obstruere  voluerunt,  non 
avum  tuum  L.  Paulum,  qui  morte  luit  collegae  in  Can- 
nensi  ignominia  temeritatem,  non  M.  Marcellum,  cuius 
interitum  ne  crudelissimus  quidem  hostis  honore  se- 
pulturae  carere  passus  est,  sed  legiones  nostras,  quod 
10  scripsi  in  Originibus,  in  eum  locum  saepe  profectas 
alacri  animo  et  erecto,  unde  se  redituras  numquam 
arbitrarentur.  Quod  igitur  adulescentes,  et  ei  quidem 
non  solum  indocti,  sed  etiam  rustici,  contemnunt,  id 
docti  senes  extimescent?  76.  Omnino,  ut  mihi  qui- 
15  dem  videtur,  studiorum  omnium  satietas  vitae  facit 
satietatem.  Sunt  pueritiae  studia  certa;  num  igitur 
ea  desiderant  adulescentes  ? sunt  ineuntis  adulescen- 
tiae ; num  ea  constans  iam  requirit  aetas,  quae  media 
dicitur  ? sunt  etiam  eius  aetatis ; ne  ea  quidem  quae- 
20  runtur  in  senectute ; sunt  extrema  quaedam  studia 
senectutis ; ergo,  ut  superiorum  aetatum  studia  occi- 
dunt,  sic  occidunt  etiam  senectutis  ; quod  cum  evenit, 
satietas  vitae  tempus  maturum  mortis  affert. 

^XXI.  77.  Equidem  non  video,  cur,  quid  ipse  sen- 
25  tiam  de  morte,  non  audeam  vobis  dicere,  quod  eo 
cernere  mihi  melius  videor,  quo  ab  ea  propius  absum. 
Ego  vestros  patres,  tuum,  Scipio,  tuumque,  Laeli,  viros 
clarissimos  mihique  amicissimos,  vivere  arbitror,  et 
earn  quidem  vitam,  quae  est  sola  vita  nominanda. 
30  Nam,  dum  sumus  inclusi  in  his  compagibus  corporis, 
munere  quodam  necessitatis  et  gravi  opere  perfungi- 
mur ; est  enim  animus  caelestis  ex  altissimo  domicilio 


CHAPTERS  XX.-XXII. 


33 


depressus  et  quasi  demersus  in  terrain,  locum  divinae 
naturae  aeternitatique  contrarium.  Sed  credo  deos 
immortales  sparsisse  animos  in  corpora  humana,  ut 
essent,  qui  terras  tuerentur,  quique  caelestium  ordi- 
nem  contemplantes  imitarentur  eum  vitae  modo  atque 
constantia.  Nee  me  solum  ratio  ac  disputatio  impulit, 
ut  ita  crederem,  sed  nobilitas  etiam  summorum  philo- 
sopborum  et  auctoritas.  78.  Audiebam  Pythagoram 
Pythagoreosque,  incolas  paene  nostros,  qui  essent 
Italici  philosophi  quondam  nominati,  numquam  dubi- 
tasse,  quin  ex  universa  mente  divina  delibatos  animos 
haberemus.  Demonstrabantur  mihi  praeterea,  quae 
Socrates  supremo  vitae  die  de  immortalitate  animorum 
disseruisset,  is  qui  esset  omnium  sapientissimus  ora- 
culo  Apollinis  iudicatus.  Quid  multa?  sic  persuasi 
mihi,  sic  sentio,  cum  tanta  celeritas  animorum  sit, 
tanta  memoria  praeteritorum  futurorumque  prudentia, 
tot  artes,  tantae  scientiae,  tot  inventa,  non  posse  earn 
naturam,  quae  res  eas  contineat,  esse  mortalem,  cum- 
que  semper  agitetur  animus  nec  principium  motus 
habeat,  quia  se  ipse  moveat,  ne  finem  quidem  liabi- 
turum  esse  motus,  quia  numquam  se  ipse  sit  relictu- 
rus,  et,  cum  simplex  animi  esset  natura  neque  haberet 
in  se  quicquam  admixtum  dispar  sui  atque  dissimile, 
non  posse  eum  dividi;  quod  si  non  posset,  non  posse 
interire ; magnoque  esse  argumento  homines  scire  ple- 
raque  ante  quam  nati  sint,  quod  iam  pueri,  cum  artes 
difficiles  discant,  ita  celeriter  res  innumerabiles  arripi- 
ant,  ut  eas  non  turn  primum  accipere  videantur,  sed 
reminisci  et  recordari.  Haec  Platonis  fere. 

XXII.  79.  Apud  Xenophontem  autem  moriens 
Cyrus  maior  haec  dicit : ‘ Nolite  arbitrari , o mihi 


5 

10 

15 

20 

25 

30 


34 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


carissimi  filii , me , cwm  a 'yofris  discessero,  nusquam 
aut  nullum  fore.  Nee  enim , dum  eram  vobiscum,  ani- 
mum  meum  videbatis , sed  eum  esse  in  hoc  corpore  ex  eis 
rebus , quas  gerebam , intellegebatis.  Eundem  igitur  esse 
5 creditote , etiamsi  nullum  videbitis.  80.  Nec  vero  claro- 
rum  virorum  post  mortem  honores  permanerent , si  nihil 
eorum  ipsorum  animi  efficerent,  quo  diutius  memoriam 
sui  teneremus.  Mihi  quidem  numquam  persuaderi  potuit 
animos , dum  in  corporibus  essent  mortalibus,  vivere,  cum 
10  excessissent  ex  eis , emori,  nec  vero  turn  animum  esse  in- 
sipientem,  cum  ex  insipienti  corpore  evasisset,  sed  cum 
omni  admixtione  corporis  liberatus  purus  et  integer  esse 
coepisset , turn  esse  sapientem.  Atque  etiam  cum  hominis 
natura'morte  dissolvitur,  ceterarum  rerum perspicuum  est 
15  quo  quaeque  discedat;  abeunt  enim  illuc  omnia , unde 
orta  sunt , animus  autem  solus,  nec  cum  adest  nec  cum 
discedit,  apparet.  Iam  vero  videtis  nihil  esse  morti  tarn 
simile  quam  somnum.  81.  Atqui  dormientium  animi 
maxime  declarant  divinitatem  suam;  multa  enim,  cum 
20  remissi  et  liberi  sunt,  futura  prospiciunt.  Ex  quo  intelle- 
gitur,  quotes  futuri  sint,  cum  se  plane  corporis  vinculis 
relaxaverint.  Quare,  si  haec  ita  sunt,  sic  me  colitote,’> 
inquit,  6 ut  deum ; sin  una  est  interiturus  animus  cum 
corpore,  vos  tamen  deos  verentes , qui  hanc  omnem  pul- 
25  cliritudinem  tuentur  et  regunt , memoriam  nostri  pie 
inviolateque  servabitis.9  Cyrus  quidem  haec  moriens  ; 
nos,  si  placet,  nostra  videamus. 

XXIII.  82.  Xemo  nmquam  mihi,  Scipio,  persuade- 
bit  aut  patrem  tuum  Paulum  aut  duos  avos,  Paulum 
30  et  Africanum,  aut  Africani  patrem  aut  patruum  aut 
multos  praestantes  viros,  quos  enumerare  non  est 
necesse,  tanta  esse  conatos,  quae  ad  posteritatis  me- 


CHAPTERS  XXII.,  XXIII. 


35 


moriam  pertinerent,  nisi  animo  cernerent  posteritatem 
ad  se  ipsos  pertinere.  An  censes,  ut  de  me  ipse  ali- 
quid  more  senum  glorier,  me  tantos  labores  diurnos 
nocturnosque  domi  militiaeque  snscepturum  fuisse,  si 
isdem  finibus  gloriam  meam,  quibus  vitam,  essem  ter-  5 
minaturus  ? Nonne  multo  melius  fuisset  otiosam  ae- 
tatem  et  quietam  sine  ullo  aut  labore  aut  contentione 
traducere?  Sed  nescio  quo  modo  animus  erigens  se 
posteritatem  ita  semper  prospiciebat,  quasi,  cum  ex- 
cessisset  e vita,  turn  denique  victurus  esset.  Quod  10 
quidem  ni  ita  se  haberet,  ut  animi  inmortales  essent, 
haud  optimi  cuiusque  animus  maxime  ad  immortali- 
tatem  et  gloriam  niteretur.  83.  Quid,  quod  sapientis- 
simus  quisque  aequissimo  animo  moritur,  stultissimus 
iniquissimo  ? Nonne  vobis  videtur  is  animus,  qui  15 
plus  cernat  et  longius,  videre  se  ad  meliora  proficisci, 
ille  autem,  cuius  obtusior  sit  acies,  non  videre  ? Equi- 
dem  efferor  studio  patres  vestros,  quos  colui  et  dilexi, 
videndi,  neque  vero  eos  solos  convenire  aveo,  quos 
ipse  cognovi,  sed  illos  etiam,  de  quibus  audivi  et  legi  20 
et  ipse  conscripsi.  Quo  quidem  me  proficiscentem 
haud  sane  quis  facile  retraxerit  nec  tamquam  Peliam 
recoxerit.  Et  si  quis  deus  mihi  (Jargiaturs  ut  ex  hac 
aetate  repuerascam  et  in  cunis  vagiam,  valde  recusem 
nec  vero  velim  quasi  decurso  spatio  ad  carceres  a calce  25 
revocari.  84.  Quid  habet  enim  vita  commodi  ? quid 
non  potius  laboris  ? Sed  habeat  sane,  habet  certe 
tamen  aut  satietatem  aut  modum.  Non  lubet  enim 
mihi  deplorare  vitam,  quod  multi,  et  ei  docti,  saepe 
fecerunt,  neque  me  vixisse  paenitet,  quoniam  ita  vixi,  30 
ut  non  frustra  me  natum  existimem,  et  ex  vita  ita 
discedo  tamquam  ex  hospitio,  non  tamquam  e domo. 


36 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


Commorandi  enim  natnra  devorsorium  nobis,  non 
habitandi  dedit.  0 praeclarnm  diem,  cum  in  illud 
divinum  animorum  concilium  coetumque  proficiscar 
cumque  ex  hac  turba  et  colluvione  discedam ! Pro- 
5 ficiscar  enim  non  ad  eos  solum  viros,  de  quibus  ante 
dixi,  verum  etiam  ad  Catonem  meum,  quo  nemo  vir 
melior  natus  est,  nemo  pietate  praestantior ; cuius  a 
me  corpus  est  crematum,  quod  contra  decuit  ab  illo 
meum,  animus  vero  non  me  deserens,  sed  respectans 
10  in  ea  profecto  loca  discessit,  quo  mibi  ipsi  cernebat 
esse  veniendum.  Quern  ego  meum  casum  fortiter 
ferre  visus  sum,  non  quo  aequo  animo  ferrem,  sed  me 
ipse  consolabar  existimans  non  longinquum  inter  nos 
digressum  et  discessum  fore.  85.  His  mihi  rebus, 
15  Scipio,  (id  enim  te  cum  Laelio  admirari  solere  dixisti) 
levis  est  senectus,  nec  solum  non  molesta,  sed  etiam 
iucunda.  Quodsi  in  hoc  erro,  qui  animos  hominum 
immortales  esse  credam,  libenter  erro  nec  mihi  hunc 
errorem,  quo  delector,  dum  vivo,  extorqueri  volo ; sin 
20  mortuus,  ut  quidam  minuti  philosophi  censent,  nihil 
sentiam,  non  vereor,  ne  hunc  errorem  meum  philo- 
sophi mortui  irrideant.  Quodsi  non  sumus  immortales 
futuri,  tamen  exstingui  homini  suo  tempore  optabile 
est.  Ham  habet  natura  ut  aliarum  omnium  rerum,  sic 
25  vivendi  modum.  Senectus  autem  aetatis  est  peractio 
tamquam  fabulae,  cuius  defatigationem  fugere  debe- 
mus,  praesertim  adiuncta  satietate. 

Haec  habui,  de  senectute  quae  dicerem;  ad  quam 
utinam  perveniatis ! ut  ea,  quae  ex  me  audistis,  re 
30  experti  probare  possitis. 


NOTES 


CHAPTER  I. 

Dedication  to  Atticus 

1.  I.1  O Tite,  etc.  : these  three  lines,  like  the  two  below,  are 
quoted  from  the  Annals  of  the  poet  Ennius  (see  Introd.  § 5).  In 
their  original  context  they  are  addressed  by  an  Epirote  shepherd 
to  the  Roman  general,  Titus  Quinctius  Flamininus  ; Cicero  here  ap- 
plies them  to  his  friend,  Titus  Pomponius  Atticus  (see  Introd.  § 2). 

si  quid  te  adiuero  : if  I help  you  at  all.  Flamininus  in  198  b.c. 
had  undertaken  the  direction  of  the  campaign  against  Philip  V.  of 
Macedon.  After  landing  in  Epirus  he  was  much  embarrassed  in 
his  operations  by  the  mountainous  character  of  the  country,  until 
Charopus,  a friendly  Epirote  chief,  sent  to  him  the  shepherd  already 
mentioned,  to  act  as  guide.  The  shepherd  inquires  whether  he  is 
to  receive  any  reward  in  case  he  extricates  the  general  from  his 
present  embarrassment ; quid  is  Accusative  of  1 Result  Produced  ’ 
(Internal  Object), — render  any  help.  A.  & G.2  238,  b\  B.  176, 
2,  a\  G.  333,  1;  H.  371,  I,  2;  II.  adiuero  is  for  the  regular 
adiuvero,  with  shortening  of  the  u (before  a vowel)  after  the  dis- 
appearance of  the  v. 

levasso : an  archaic  future-perfect,  equivalent  in  meaning  to  the 
customary  form,  levavero , though  of  different  formation. 

2.  coquit:  in  this  figurative  sense  of  ‘vex,’  ‘harass,’  coquo  is 
confined  chiefly  to  poetry. 

versat : note  the  length  of  the  a.  This  was  the  original  quan- 
tity of  this  termination,  though  it  was  already  tending  to  become 


1 The  numerical  references  in  the  notes  are  to  page  and  line  of  the  text. 

2 A.  & G.  = Allen  and  Greenough’s  Latin  Grammar ; B.  = Bennett ; 
G.  = Gildersleeve ; H.  = Harkness. 

37 


38 


CATO  MAIOK  DE  SENECTUTE 


shortened  in  Ennius’s  day.  Both  he  and  Plautus  repeatedly  treat 
the  termination  as  short. 

3.  praemi : nouns  in  - ium  and  -ius  regularly  formed  the  geni- 
tive singular  in  a single  i until  after  the  time  of  Cicero.  Hence 
that  spelling  is  uniformly  followed  in  this  edition  of  the  de  Senectute. 

4.  licet  enim,  etc.  : for  I may  address  you. 

versibus  eisdem:  in  the  identical  lines;  eisdem  is  here  espe- 
cially emphatic,  as  shown  by  its  unusual  position  after  its  sub- 
stantive. 

6.  Illevir:  i.e.  the  herdsman. 

haud  magna  cum  re : poor ; re  is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  re 
familiar  i,  ‘property,’  ‘possessions.’ 

plenus  fidei:  i.e.  loyal;  in  early  Latin  final  s was  so  lightly 
sounded  that,  as  in  the  present  instance,  it  often  failed  to  ‘ make 
position.’ 

fidei : fides , res,  spes  regularly  formed  the  genitive  and  dative 
in  -ex.  Here,  however,  the  e is  long,  fidei.  This  seems  to  have 
been  the  original  quantity,  and  appears  often  in  Early  Latin. 

7.  quamquam  certo  scio  : and  yet  I know  for  certain  ; quam- 
quam  is  here  corrective,  like  the  Greek  kolItoi. 

9.  novi : I am  acquainted  with , as  contrasted  with  intellego  (in 
the  following  line),  I am  aware  of  the  fact. 

moderationem  et  aequitatem  : self-control  and  evenness. 

10.  cognomen : viz.  Atticus,  given  in  consequence  of  his  long 
residence  at  Athens  and  his  intimate  acquaintance  with  Greek 
literature.  Cognomen  may  designate  either  the  family  name,  i.e. 
the  third  of  the  three  names  regularly  possessed  by  every  Roman 
(■ e.g . Cicero  in  Marcus  Tullius  Cicero),  or  a name  added  to  indicate 
some  personal  trait  or  peculiarity,  e.g.  Sapiens,  Africanus,  Cuncta- 
tor.  The  name  Atticus  seems  to  have  been  applied  to  Cicero’s 
friend  first  as  a mark  of  personal  distinction,  and  later  to  have 
replaced  the  original  family  name. 

humanitatem  et  prudentiam  : culture  and  good  sense. 

12.  eisdem  rebus  : the  allusion  is  to  the  existing  political  situ- 
ation. According  as  we  place  the  composition  of  the  de  Senectute 
before  or  after  Caesar’s  death,  the  reference  will  be  to  Caesar’s 
threatened  usurpation  of  regal  power  or  to  Antony’s  policy  of  self- 
aggrandizement. 


NOTES 


39 


me  ip3um  : the  thought  is  inaccurately  expressed.  We  should 
have  expected  ego  ipse  (sc.  commoveor ),  ‘ by  which  I myself  am 
disturbed. 1 

gravius : rather  seriously. 

13.  quarum : for  which , an  extension  of  the  ordinary  force  of 
the  Objective  Genitive.  B.  App.1  § 321. 

maior  : i.e.  a larger  theme. 

14.  visum  est  mihi : I have  decided. 

15.  ad  te  conscribere  : i.e . to  write  and  send  to  you;  hence 
ad  with  the  accusative. 

17.  senectutis  : Cicero  was  now  sixty -two  years  old,  Atticus 
sixty-four.  Senectus  seems,  to  have  been  an  elastic  term  among 
the  Romans,  as  4 old  age  ’ is  with  us. 

18.  etsi : corrective,  like  quamqnam  above,  p.  1,  1.  7. 

te  quidern  : quidem  serves  to  emphasize  te,  and  to  suggest  a 
possible  contrast  between  Atticus  and  Cicero.  Cicero  is  sure  that 
Atticus  at  any  rate  will  bear  old  age  philosophically,  whatever  his 
own  attitude  may  prove  to  be. 

19.  Bed  occurrebas  : i.e.  Cicero  feels  that  Atticus,  despite  his 
natural  equanimity  and  good  sense,  may  nevertheless  appreciate 
the  tribute  he  offers. 

2.  2.  eo  munere : of  that  tribute , viz.  my  essay  on  old  age  ; 
eo  here  is  not  correlative  with  quo,  but  refers  back  to  the  thought 
involved  in  scribere. 

quo  uteretur  : a relative  clause  of  purpose. 

uterque  nostrum  : i.e.  Cicero  in  the  writing  and  Atticus  in  the 
reading. 

3.  Mihi  quidem  : to  me  at  any  rate  ; cf.  te  quidem,  p.  1,  1.  18. 

5.  effecerit  mo  lie  in  etiam  et  iucundam  senectutem  : has 

made  old  age  actually  easy  and  pleasant.  Note  the  emphasis  pro- 
duced by  placing  the  predicate  adjectives  before  their  substantive, 
— an  emphasis  further  increased  by  the  unusual  position  of  etiam 
(after  mollem,  instead  of  before  it). 

7.  cui  qui  pareat,  etc.  : since  he  who  obeys  it  (philosophy)  can 
pass  every  period  of  life  without  annoyance,  lit  he  who  obeys  which 
can  pass.  The  peculiarity  of  the  passage  lies  in  the  fact  that  cui, 


1 Appendix  to  Bennett’s  Latin  Grammar. 


40 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


while  serving  to  introduce  possit,  is  itself  governed  by  pareat , 
which  is  subordinate  to  possit;  possit  is  a Subjunctive  of  Charac- 
teristic with  the  accessory  notion  of  cause.  A.  & G.  320,  e ; B. 
283,  3 ; pareat  is  attracted  to  the  mood  of  possit. 

8.  de  ceteris : on  other  subjects .,  Outside  of  the  nominative 
and  accusative  Cicero  regularly  uses  an  adjective  in  agreement 
with  res,  to  denote  4 other  things,’  4 many  things,’  etc.  So  here 
de  ceteris  rebus  would  have  been  the  regular  form  of  expression  ; 
yet  the  de  Senectute  shows  several  exceptions  to  this  usage. 

9.  hunc  librum  : emphatic  and  contrasted  with  the  writings 
suggested  by  de  ceteris. 

10.  tribuimus:  I have  put  in  the  mouth  of  . Note  the  editorial 4 we. 

11.  Tithono  : the  son  of  Laomedon.  In  response  to  the  prayers 
of  Aurora,  who  loved  him,  the  gods  had  made  Tithonus  immortal ; 
but  they  did  not  confer  upon  him  the  boon  of  perpetual  youth. 
Hence  he  is  said  to  have  shrivelled  away  and  finally  to  have 
been  changed  into  a grasshopper. 

Aristo  Ceus  : Aristo  of  Ceos.  Aristo  was  an  unimportant  Peri- 
patetic philosopher  who  flourished  about  225  b.c.  As  we  gather 
from  this  passage,  he  was  the  author  of  a dialogue  on  old  age,  in 
which  he  had  made  Tithonus  the  chief  speaker.  None  of  Aristo’s 
-works  have  come  down  to  us. 

12.  in  fabula : in  a myth,  i.e.  in  putting  my  sentiments  in  the 
mouth  of  a mythical  character  like  Tithonus. 

M.  Catoni  seni:  Marcus  Cato  the  Elder  (234-149  b.c.  See 
Introd.  § 4,  a).  Cicero  adds  seni  to  distinguish  this  Cato  from  his 
own  contemporary,  M.  Cato,  called  Uticensis,  a great-grandson  of 
the  elder  Cato. 

13.  apud  quem  : in  whose  presence , or  at  whose  house. 

Laelium  et  Scipionem  : see  Introd.  § 4,  b,  c.  The  participa- 
tion of  Laelius  and  Scipio  in  the  conversation  is  extremely  slight ; 
the  de  Senectute  is  in  no  proper  sense  a dialogue. 

14.  facimus : I represent. 

admirantes  : i.e.  expressing  their  admiration. 

16.  eruditius  : said  with  special  reference  to  attainments  in 
philosophy  or  literature. 

17.  in  suis  libris  : of  Cato’s  works  the  only  one  that  has  come 
down  to  us  is  the  treatise  on  farming,  de  Agri  Cultura.  This  work 


NOTES 


41 


shows  a total  absence  of  literary  skill,  and  makes  it  clear  why 
Cicero  should  have  thought  it  necessary  to  apologize  for  the  elabo- 
rate form  in  which  Cato  is  made  to  set  forth  his  views  on  old  age. 

quarum  constat  eum  perstudiosum  fuisse : it  is  doubtful 
whether  Cato’s  interest  ever  extended  to  the  finer  literary  master- 
pieces of  the  Greeks.  More  likely  such  attention  as  he  is  reported 
to  have  given  to  Greek  in  his  old  age  was  confined  to  historical 
works  in  the  Greek  language ; these  probably  served  as  important 
sources  in  the  composition  of  his  Origines  ; see  Introd.  § 4,  a. 

19.  plura : supply  in  sense  some  such  word  as  dicere. 

CHAPTERS  II. -V. 

The  young  men  express  their  admiration  of  the  ivay  in  which 
Cato  bears  the  burdens  of  old  age.  Cato  answers  that  the  complaints 
against  old  age  are  not  justified;  it  is  their  authors  \ who  are  to 
blame.  Enumeration  of  the  charges  brought  against  old  age.  Cato 
proposes  to  consider  these  in  turn. 

21.  saepe  numero  : often  ; sometimes  written  saepenumero. 

22.  cum  . . . turn : not  only  . . . but  also. 

ceterarum  rerum:  in  other  things;  another  instance  of  the 
extension  of  the  Objective  Genitive.  See  note  on  quarum  con- 
solation p.  1,  1.  13. 

23.  vel  maxime : vel  is  simply  intensive. 

24.  quod  senserim : the  indicative  is  ordinarily  used  in  causal 
clauses  introduced  by  quod  denoting  the  reason  of  the  speaker, 
but  the  subjunctive  may  be  used  to  indicate  the  reason  of  the 
speaker  when  the  main  verb  refers  to  a past  state  of  mind.  That 
is  the  case  here,  — saepe  numero  admirari  soleo  being  equivalent 
to  ‘I  have  often  wondered.’ 

25.  Aetna  gravius:  Cicero  regularly  confines  his  use  of  the 
Ablative  of  Comparison  to  negative  expressions,  interrogative  ex- 
pressions implying  a negative,  and  a few  proverbial  phrases  such 
as  melle  dulcius , vita  carius , Aetna  gravius. 

27.  rem  haud  sane  difficilem  admirari  videmini : the  thought 
is  inaccurately  expressed.  Cicero  really  means  : ‘ What  you  won- 
der at,  Scipio  and  Laelius,  does  not  seem  to  me  a really  difficult 


42 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


thing.’  Cato  does  not  mean  to  say  that  the  young  men  seem  to 
admire,  — for  their  admiration  was  beyond  question,  — but  simply 
that  the  thing  which  they  admire  does  not  seem  remarkable  to  him. 

28.  Quibus  enim,  etc.  : for  to  those  who  have  no  resources , etc. 
Quibus  is  Dative  of  Possession. 

30.  a se  ipsi : as  usual,  the  intensive  is  joined  with  the  subject 
instead  of  agreeing  with  the  reflexive. 

32.  est : belongs. 

in  primis : especially  ; sometimes  written  imprimis. 

3.  1.  adeptam:  here  used  passively. 

3.  putassent : this  represents  a pluperfect  indicative  of  direct 
discourse  (putaveramus) . Putaveram  is  frequently  used  in  Latin, 
corresponding  to  the  English  ‘ I thought.  ’ 

Primum:  elliptical, — in  the  first  place  (let  us  inquire). 

4.  falsum  putare  : to  think  what  was  false  ; falsum  is  here  used 
as  a substantive. 

qui : how  ; qui  was  originally  an  ablative  or  instrumental,  but  it 
early  acquired  the  adverbial  force  of  ‘how.’  Traces  of  its  original 
case  function  may  still  be  seen  in  quicum. 

adulescentiae  senectus,  etc.  : as  here  used,  adulescentia  is  the 
period  from  boyhood  to  old  age,  i.e.  the  period  of  growing  powers. 

7.  quam  si  : quam  si  here  has  the  force  of  instead  of. 

8.  praeterita  aetas  . . . cum  effluxisset,  etc. : the  most  nat- 
ural interpretation  of  this  sentence  seems  to  be  this : 4 even  an 
unlimited  period  of  past  time  would  not  be  able,  when  once  it  was 
gone,  to  comfort  the  foolish  age  of  these  men  I am  talking  about  ’ ; 
posset  is  the  apodosis  of  a contrary-to-fact  conditional  sentence, 
the  protasis  of  which  is  implied  in  quamvis  longa  (‘were  it  never 
so  long’).  The  use  of  the  subjunctive  in  the  clause  cum  effluxisset 
seems  perfectly  natural  in  this  context,  though  it  is  differently 
explained  by  different  scholars,  and  no  exact  parallel  to  the  present 
passage  can  be  cited. 

11.  opinione  vestra  : i.e.  your  good  opinion. 

12.  nostro  cognomine  : viz.  Sapiens ; see  note  on  cognomen , 

p.  1,  1.  10. 

in  hoc  sumus  sapientes : the  emphasis  rests  upon  the  words 
in  hoc ; the  apodosis  corresponding  to  the  protasis  si  ..  . soletis 
is  to  be  supplied  in  thought ; we  may  understand  some  such  thought 


NOTES 


43 


as,  ‘ I will  say,’  ‘ Let  me  point  out.’  Such  ellipses  are  frequent  in 
Latin. 

13.  naturam,  optimam  ducem,  sequimur : this  was  a cardinal 
doctrine  of  the  Stoics,  — ‘ to  live  according  to  Nature,’  i.e.  Nature’s 
plan. 

14.  cum  . . . discriptae  sint:  cum  has  a causal  force.  In 
view  of  Nature’s  wise  allotment  of  the  other  parts  of  life,  it  is  not 
likely  that  she  has  neglected  old  age.  For  a different  reading  and 
interpretation  of  this  passage  see  Critical  Appendix. 

16.  inerti  poeta : an  unskilful  poet. 

17.  necesse  fuit  esse  aliquid  extremum : there  had  to  be 
something  final. 

tamquam : here,  just  as. 

19.  quasi  vietum  et  caducum,  etc. : we  have  here  an  instance 
of  what  may  be  called  the  ‘ apologetic  ’ quasi.  Both  tamquam 
and  quasi  are  often  thus  used  when  the  author  employs  a word  or 
phrase  in  some  unusual  figurative  sense,  where  an  English  writer 
might  have  added,  ‘so  to  speak,’  ‘if  I may  employ  that  term,’  or 
something  of  the  sort.  Thus  here  the  writer  apologizes  for  his 
bold  use  of  vietus , which  properly  meant  ‘bent,’  ‘twisted,’  ‘shriv- 
elled,’ but  which  is  here  figuratively  applied  to  the  conditions  of 
old  age.  Translate ; something  shrivelled,  so  to  speak,  and  ready 
to  fall  with  the  fulness  of  time.  Aliquid  is  to  be  supplied  with 
vietum  and  caducum. 

20.  molliter : calmly , patiently. 

quid  est  enim,  etc. : ‘ for  what  does  the  battle  of  the  giants 
with  the  gods  signify  but  rebellion  against  Nature.’  Cato’s  last 
remarks  had  been  devoted  to  emphasizing  the  importance  of  living 
in  accordance  with  Nature’s  plan.  We  must  do  this,  he  says; 
otherwise  we  shall  be  rebelling  against  Nature,  and  against  this 
the  legend  of  the  contest  of  the  giants  should  warn  us.  For  that 
legend  typifies  rebellion  against  Nature.  See  Critical  Appendix. 

22.  Atqui : and  yet;  i.e.  despite  their  agreement  with  what 
Cato  has  said,  the  young  men  wish  to  learn  how  old  age  may  be 
made  tolerable. 

gratissimum : used  substantively,  — a thing  most  welcome  to  us. 

ut . . . pollicear : to  speak  (lit.  promise)  for  Scipio  too , i.e.  as 
well  as  for  himself. 


44 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


24.  volumus  quidem  certe : Laelius  has  just  said  that  they 
both  hoped  ( speramus ) to  become  old,  but  realizing  that  this  is 
asserting  too  much,  he  at  once  hastens  to  qualify  this  speramus  by 
saying  that  at  least  they  wished  to  become  old  men. 

fieri:  had  the  infinitive  depended  directly  upon  speramus , it 
would  regularly  have  taken  the  form  nos  futuros  esse  ; but  its  con- 
struction is  determined  by  volumus. 

28.  futurum  est : different  in  force  from  erit ; erit  would  have 
referred  the  matter  distinctly  to  the  future ; futurum  est  indicates 
rather  a present  prospect,  — 4 is  likely  to  prove  agreeable.’ 

29.  Volumus  sane:  we  really  do  wish. 

30.  tamquam  longam  aliquam  viam  confeceris,  etc. : the 
thought  from  here  to  the  end  of  the  sentence  is  closely  modelled 
on  Plato’s  Republic,  I,  328  E. 

quam  nobis  quoque  ingrediendum  sit : on  ivhich  we  too  must 
enter.  This  impersonal  use  of  the  periphrastic  conjugation  with  a 
direct  object  occurs  but  twice  in  Cicero. 

31.  istuc  . . . quale  sit : to  see  what  sort  of  thing  that  is  to 
which  you  have  come , lit.  to  see  that  thing  ...  of  what  sort  it  is. 
(Prolepsis  or  Anticipation.  A.  & G.  334,  c ; G.  468  ; B.  374,  5.) 

4.  2.  pares  cum  paribus  congregantur  : note  the  reflexive 
meaning  of  the  passive  congregantur.  For  the  thought,  cf.  the 
English  ‘ Birds  of  a feather  flock  together.’  In  Greek  the  proverb 
is  as  old  as  Homer  ; see  Odyss.  XVII,  218:  us  c del  tov  o/ulolov  ay ei 
deos  us  tov  byoTov.  French  and  German  also  embody  the  same  idea 
in  trenchant  form:  ‘ Qui  se  ressemble  s’assemble’;  ‘Gleich  und 
Gleich  gesellt  sich  gern.’ 

4.  quae  . . . deplorare  solebant : owing  to  the  interruption 
caused  by  the  parenthesis,  the  writer  here  repeats  the  thought 
already  expressed  in  querelis  aequalium,  — complaints  which  they 
used  to  make , lit.  which  things  they  used  to  complain;  quae  is 
accusative  of  ‘Result  Produced’  (Internal  Object).  See  note  on 
quid , p.  1,  1.  1. 

C.  Salinator:  naval  commander  in  the  war  against  Antiochus, 
191  B.C. 

Sp.  Albinus  : consul  in  186  b.c. 

5.  turn  . . . turn:  partly  . . . partly. 

6.  sine  quibus  . . . putarent : without  which  ( they  said)  they 


NOTES 


45 


thought  life  was  not  life;  subjunctive  in  implied  indirect  dis- 
course. 

7.  spernerentur : not  as  strong  in  meaning  as  our  4 spurn,’ 
‘despise,’  but  more  nearly  equivalent  to  our  ‘ neglect,’  ‘ slight.’ 

8.  essent  soliti : subjunctive  by  attraction. 

Qui,  etc. : note  the  adversative  force  of  this  sentence,  — hut 
these  men  did  not  seem  to  me  to  blame , etc. 

id  quod  esset  accusandum : practically  a subordinate  clause 
in  indirect  discourse,  non  id  accusare  videbantur  being  equivalent 
to  non  eos  id  aceusare  putabam;  hence  the  subjunctive. 

10.  usu  venirent : would  happen , lit.  would  come  by  experience. 

12.  cognovi : here,  I have  known. 

sine  querela : the  prepositional  phrase  is  used  as  an  adjective 
modifier  of  senectutem. 

qui  . . . non  moleste  ferrent : who  by  no  means  regretted,  lit. 
who  bore  it  not  ill.  The  object  of  ferrent  is  se  laxatos  esse.  Note 
the  litotes  in  non  moleste ; except  for  this  we  should  have  had  nec 
(correlative  with  nec  following)  instead  of  et  . . . non. 

15.  non  in  aetate : not  in  the  time  of  life. 

s moderati : of  self  control ; moderati  homines  are  those  qui  sibi 
moderantur. 

16.  difficiles  : churlish  ; hard  to  manage  or  hard  to  please. 

inhumani:  i.e.  devoid  of  culture  (Jiumanitas) . 

17.  importunitas,  inhumanitas : these  words  convey  in  sub- 
stantive form  the  ideas  contained  in  difficiles  and  inhumani  respec- 
tively. 

omni  aetati : to  every  period  of  life. 

19.  dixerit  quispiam  : some  one  may  say  ; potential  subjunctive. 
The  perfect  subjunctive  was  originally  an  aorist,  and  traces  of  its 
aoristic  force  may  frequently  be  noted,  as  here. 

20.  opes  : resources , and  so  influence. 

copias  : wealth. 

dignitatem:  high  standing , both  political  and  social. 

23.  sed  nequaquam  in  isto  sunt  omnia:  i.e.  the  whole  case 
is  by  no  means  comprised  in  that. 

24.  ut  fertur : the  story  is  taken  from  Plato’s  Republic,  1,  329  E. 

Themistocles : the  famous  Athenian  statesman,  commander  of 

the  Greeks  at  Salamis. 


46 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


25.  Seriphio  cuidam : a certain  Seriphian.  Seriphos,  one  of 
the  Cyclades,  was  so  small  and  rocky  that  it  became  proverbial  in 
antiquity  for  its  insignificance  and  barrenness. 

ille : i.  e.  the  Seriphian. 

27.  Nec  hercule  : supply  in  sense  clarus  fuissem. 

29.  Quod : referring  loosely  to  the  lesson  of  the  story  just  nar- 
rated. 

30.  levis:  i:e.  easy  to  bear. 

ne  . . . quidem  : ne  . . . quidern , as  frequently,  merely  repeats 
the  negative  idea.  A.  & G.  209,  a,  1 ; B.  347,  2 ; G.  445  ; H.  553,  2. 

31.  nec  insipienti,  etc.  : nor  to  a fool  can  it  fail  to  be  burden- 
some, even  in  the  midst  of  the  greatest  plenty.  Note  the  chiastic 
arrangement  in  nec  levis  ne  sapienti  quidem  on  the  one  hand,  and 
nec  insipienti  non  gravis  on  the  other. 

32.  Aptissima  omnino  . . . arma : altogether  the  most  suit- 
able weapons;  senectutis  is  a Possessive  Genitive,  i.e.  weapons 
for  old  age  to  use. 

5.  1.  artes  exercitationesque  virtu  turn  : liberal  arts  and  the 
practice  of  the  virtues;  artes  is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  artes 
liberates.  Notice  the  use  of  the  plural  in  exercitationes  ; repeated 
instances  are  thought  of. 

2.  quae  : referring  to  virtutes. 

cum  diu  multumque  vixeris : when  you  have  had  a long  and 
eventful  life  ; vixeris  is  in  the  perfect  subjunctive.  Note  the  indefi- 
nite second  singular.  B.  356,  3.  Subordinate  clauses  containing 
thi.s  indefinite  second  person  singular  stand  regularly  in  the  sub- 
junctive. Cf.  p.  12,  1.  11,  quicquid  agas. 

3.  ecferunt : equivalent  to  efferunt , which  latter  was  the  current 
form  in  Cicero’s  day.  B.  App.  § 58,  c. 

4.  deserunt : used  absolutely. 

5.  id  quidem  : that,  of  course. 

6.  conscientia  bene  actae  vitae  : the  consciousness  of  having 
spent  one's  life  well ; cf.  post  urbem  conditam  ‘after  the  founding 
of  the  city.’ 

bene  factorum  : good  deeds  ; bene  facta  is  often  used  as  a sub- 
stantive. 

8.  Q.  Maximum  : Quintus  Fabius  Maximus , surnamed  Cuncta- 
tor  from  his  policy  of  avoiding  a pitched  battle  with  Hannibal. 


NOTES 


47 


Tarentum  recepit : Tarentum  had  been  captured  by  Hannibal 
in  212  b.c.,  but  Eabius  recovered  it  three  years  later. 

9.  senem  adulescens  : in  Latin  contrasted  words  are  often  put 
in  juxtaposition. 

erat  enim : for  there  was . 

10.  condita  : tempered , lit.  seasoned  ( condio ). 

11.  quamquam : corrective,  asp.  1,  1.  7. 

12.  non  admodum  grandem,  etc. : when  not  so  very  old , yet 
well  along  in  life. 

13.  anno  post  . . . quam  ego  natus  sum  : a year  after  I was 
horn , i.e.  in  233  b.c.  ; post  . . . quam  for  postquam , as  often. 
Cato’s  point  had  been  merely  to  cite  Fabius  as  an  illustration 
of  how  4 liberal  arts  and  the  practice  of  the  virtues  ’ make  old  age 
pleasant  and  easy  to  bear ; but,  with  an  old  man’s  tendency  to 
indulge  in  digression,  he  begins  to  recount  his  own  experiences  as 
a soldier  under  Maximus,  although  the  recital  of  these  incidents 
does  not  in  the  least  serve  to  illuminate  the  question  at  issue. 
Such  digressions,  especially  in  the  way  of  personal  reminiscences 
on  Cato’s  part,  meet  us  frequently  in  the  de  Senectute,  and  consti- 
tute a striking  feature  of  the  art  with  which  Cicero  has  depicted 
the  character  of  the  aged  Cato.  Cf.  p.  11,  1.  9 ff.  ; p.  19,  1.  26  ff. 

14.  quartum  consule  : consul  for  the  fourth  time.  This  was  in 
214  b.c. 

15.  adulescentulus : when  a young  man  ; Cato  was  twenty 
years  old  at  the  time. 

ad  Capuam  : to  the  neighborhood  of  Capua. 

17.  quem  magistratum  : in  English,  an  office  which. 

18.  cum  . . . fuit : the  indicative  is  used  to  denote  the  point  of 
time  at  which. 

19.  suasor  : a supporter. 

legis  Cinciae : so  called  from  the  name  of  the  tribune  who 
introduced  it,  M.  Cincius  Alimentus.  The  chief  feature  of  this  law 
was  that  it  forbade  advocates  to  receive  fees  for  professional  ser- 
vice. This  provision  remained  a principle  of  Roman  law  until  the 
reign  of  Claudius,  when  it  was  slightly  modified. 

21.  plane  grandis  : quite  oZd,  implying  less,  however,  than  admo- 
dum senex.  The  time  referred  to  is  that  previous  to  Fabius’s  support 
of  the  lex  Cincia , which  was  in  204  b.c.,  the  year  before  his  death. 


48 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


iuveniliter  exsultantem  : i.e.  exulting  in  the  enthusiasm  of 
young  manhood,  as  opposed  to  Fabius,  who  was  plane  grandis. 
Hannibal  was  only  thirty-two  years  old  at  the  time  (215  b.c.). 

22.  patientia  : endurance , persistence. 

23.  familiaris  noster  : my  intimate  friend  ; noster  for  meus , as 
nos  for  ego. 

Ennius  : as  verb  of  the  sentence,  supply  ait , or  some  such  word. 

24.  Unus  homo  nobis : the  quotation  is  from  the  Annals. 
Virgil  imitates  this  line  in  Aeneid,  VI,  846. 

Tu  Maximus  ille  es 

Unus  qui  nobis  cunctando  restituis  rem. 

restituit : implying  that  when  Fabius  took  the  field  the  Roman 
fortunes  were  at  a low  ebb.  This  was  particularly  the  case  on  the 
occasion  of  Fabius’s  second  command,  in  215  b.c.,  the  year  after 
the  disastrous  defeat  at  Cannae. 

25.  Noenum  : not.  The  word  is  best  explained  as  compounded 
of  * noi  (a  ‘ byform  ’ of  ne,  ni)  and  the  enclitic  num ; non  is  a 
different  formation.  See  Critical  Appendix. 

rumores : i.e.  the  popular  report  that  Fabius’s  avoidance  of  a 
direct  engagement  with  Hannibal  was  prompted  by  cowardice. 

ponebat : note  the  preservation  of  the  original  quantity  of  the 
final  a ; cf.  note  on  versat,  p.  1,1.  2. 

26.  plusque  magisque  : with  adjectives  and  verbs  plus  denotes 
a higher  degree  of  intensity,  magis,  a wider  extent  of  application  ; 
thus  here,  plus  claret  = 4 has  a greater  brilliancy  ’ ; magis  claret, 
= ‘ diffuses  a wider  radiance.’ 

claret : the  word  is  poetical  and  rare. 

27.  Tarentum : made  emphatic  by  its  position,  — in  case  of 
Tarentum,  now. 

28.  Salinatori : Cicero’s  memory  is  probably  inaccurate  in  this 
reference  to  Salinator.  It  was  Titus  Livius  Macatus  who  lost 
Tarentum.  The  same  error  occurs  also  in  Cicero’s  de  Oratore, 
II,  273. 

30.  Mea  opera  : through  my  instrumentality ; the  chief  empha- 
sis rests  upon  mea. 

6.  1.  praestantior  : supply  erat. 

in  toga  : i.e.  in  peace,  civil  life. 


NOTES 


49 


2.  qui  consul  iterum : for  he,  when  consul  a second  time  (228 
b.c.)  ; the  relative  clause  begins  a justification  of  the  statement  just 
made. 

quiescente  : i.e.  taking  no  side  in  the  matter. 

3.  C.  Flaminio:  in  232  b.c.,  in  opposition  to  the  expressed 
policy  ( auctoritas ) of  the  senate,  Elaminius  had  secured  the  pas- 
sage of  an  agrarian  law  providing  for  the  distribution  of  certain 
lands  in  northern  Italy  among  the  citizens  of  Rome.  Cicero  seems 
to  be  in  error  in  making  Eabius  and  Carvilius  colleagues  in  232 
b.c.  Their  consulship  was  in  228  b.c.,  but  the  fact  of  Eabius’s 
sturdy  opposition  to  Elaminius’s  law  is  beyond  question. 

4.  agrum  Picentem  et  Gallicum:  the  Picene  lands  lay  near 
the  Adriatic,  east  of  Umbria  and  north  of  the  Sabine  territory  ; 
the  ager  Gallicus  was  slightly  further  north. 

contra  senatus  auctoritatem  : an  auctoritas  senatus  was  simply 
an  expression  of  opinion  by  way  of  formal  resolution  ; it  had  no 
binding  force. 

5.  dividenti : i.e.  trying  to  secure  the  division  ; the  participle 
has  a conative  force. 

6.  optimis  auspiciis  : under  most  favorable  auspices  ; ablative 
of  Attendant  Circumstance.  B.  221. 

7.  ferrentur : were  proposed  ; legem  ferre  is  the  technical  phrase 
for  introducing  a bill  for  enactment. 

8.  Multa  : emphatic,  — many  are  the  excellent  qualities  which  I 
came  to  know  in  that  hero. 

9.  nihil  admirabilius  : nothing  worthier  of  admiration  ; supply 
cognovi. 

quam  quo  modo  : than  the  way  in  which ; cf.  quern  magistratum 
gessi , ‘an  office  which  I held,’  p.  5,  1.  17. 

10.  mortem  fili : this  son,  who  also  bore  the  name  Q.  Eabius 
Maximus,  had  been  consul  in  213  b.c.,  and  died  about  205,  shortly 
before  his  aged  father. 

11.  in  manibus:  in  circulation , i.e.  may  still  be  read.  This 
phrase,  however,  sometimes  has  another  meaning.  See,  for  ex- 
ample, p.  10,  1.  15,  quam  in  manibus  habebat,  ‘ which  he  had  in 
hand,’  i.e.  was  engaged  upon. 

laudatio  : i.e.  laudatio  funebr  is,  the  funeral  eulogy. 

quam  cum  legimus : and  when  we  read  it. 


50 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


12.  contemnimus : regard  as  insignificant  (in  comparison ) ; 
contemno  is  usually  less  strong  than  the  English  4 despise.’ 

in  luce  atque  in  oculis  civium : in  the  public  view  and  before 
the  eyes  of  his  fellow-citizens ; lux  in  the  sense  of  ‘publicity  ’ is  a 
frequent  figure  in  Latin. 

13.  magnus  : supply  erat ; cf.  praestantior , above,  p.  6,  1.  1 

intus  clomique  : in  the  privacy  of  his  home ; hendiadys. 

14.  quae  praecepta : what  good  advice  ! 

15.  notitia : familiarity. 

scientia : theoretical  knowledge , knowledge  of  the  principles. 

16.  Multae  litterae:  i.e.  much  knowledge  of  books  or  litera- 
ture. 

ut  in  homine  Romano : for  a Homan ; ut  is  here  restrictive. 
In  such  cases  the  expression  is  elliptical.  Thus  here  we  might 
supply  litterae  inveniuntur , — ‘ so  far  as  literary  knowledge  is 
found  in  a Roman.’  Cicero  evidently  recognizes  that  as  a class 
his  countrymen  were  not  conspicuous  for  a profound  knowledge 
of  books.  Such  preeminence  was  never  a prevalent  ideal  with  the 
Romans. 

omnia : with  bella. 

17.  domestica : i.e.  wars  in  which  Romans  were  engaged. 

18.  externa : wars  which  other  nations  waged. 

Cuius : = et  eius. 

ita  : ita  does  not  modify  cupide , but  fruebar , and  simply  serves  to 
anticipate  the  quasi- clause. 

19.  illo  exstincto : Eabius  died  in  203  b.c. 

20.  fore,  unde  discerem,  neminem  : I should  have  nobody  to 
learn  from  ; unde , by  a common  idiom,  is  here  equivalent  to  a quo  ; 
the  clause  unde  discerem  is  a relative  clause  of  purpose.  Special 
emphasis  rests  upon  neminem , as  is  shown  by  its  unusual  position  at 
the  end  of  the  sentence. 

21.  Quorsus  : why  ? 

igitur  : now,  — a mere  particle  of  transition,  as  frequently. 

haec  tarn  multa : object  of  dixi  or  some  similar  verb  to  be 
supplied. 

22.  quia  profecto  : because , of  course. 

nefas  dictu : an  outrageous  thing  to  say. 

miseram  fuisse  talem  senectutem  : the  emphasis  rests  equally 


NOTES 


51 


upon  talem  senectutem,  and  miser  am.  We  may  render:  that 
wretchedness  characterized  such  an  old  age.  Grammatically  fuisse 
is  tlie  subject  of  esse,  but  logically  it  is  difficult  to  dissociate  it 
from  tlie  notion  of  saying  involved  in  dictu.  In  fact,  Cicero 
would  probably  have  written  dicere  instead  of  dictu , except  that 
this  would  have  given  us  an  awkward  succession  of  infinitives, 
esse , dicere , fuisse. 

23.  Nec  = et  . . . non. 

^A.  Scipiones  aut  Maximi : i.e.  men  like  Scipio  or  Maximus. 
This  generic  use  of  the  plural  of  proper  names  is  common.  Cf. 
p.  8,  1.  1,  Fabricii,  Curii , Coruncanii.  In  making  Cato  refer  thus 
cordially  to  Scipio  here  and  elsewhere  in  the  de  Senectute,  Cicero 
apparently  forgets  the  bitter  feeling  which  had  existed  between  the 
two  men. 

ut,  ut,  ut,  ut : notice  the  emphasis  gained  by  the  repetition  of 
the  particle,  — anaphora. 

25.  pedestres  : on  land;  for  terrestres , as  often. 

26.  Est  etiam  : there  is  also,  i.e.  as  well  as  the  old  age  of  men 
who,  like  Fabius,  have  been  active  in  the  field,  there  is  also  the 
peaceful  old  age  of  those  who  have  passed  a life  of  devotion  to 
literature  or  philosophy. 

quiete  et  pure  atque  eleganter  actae : quiete  is  opposed  to  the 
stir  and  activity  of  a public  life  ; pure  refers  to  the  refined  character 
of  the  pursuits  alluded  to,  while  eleganter  implies  that  they  call  for 
the  exercise  of  taste  and  discrimination. 

27.  placida  ac  lenis  senectus : a tranquil  and  peaceful  old  age. 
The  thought  of  this  sentence  is  somewhat  condensed.  Two  ideas 
are  combined  in  a single  expression  : (1)  There  is  also  the  old  age 
of  a life  spent  in  retired  pursuits.  (2)  Such  an  old  age  is  peaceful 
and  tranquil. 

qualem  accepimus  Platonis  : abbreviated  for  qualem  accepi- 
mus  fuisse  senectutem  Platonis.  Plato,  pupil  of  Socrates  and 
founder  of  the  Athenian  Academy,  lived  from  429  to  347  b.c. 

28.  uno  et  octogesimo  : unus  for  primus  as  often  in  such 
combinations. 

29.  scribens  est  mortuus  : best  taken  literally.  Another  ac- 
count reports  him  to  have  died  at  a wedding  feast.  Petrarch  and 
Leibnitz  also  are  said  to  have  died  pen  in  hand. 


52 


CATO  MAIOR  HE  SENECTUTE 


Isocratis  : orator  and  rhetorician  (436-338  b.c.).  lie  is  said  to 
have  trained  more  famous  orators  than  any  other  rhetorician  of 
antiquity. 

30.  librum  : speech , as  often. 

Panathenaicus : this  oration,  delivered  at  the  Panathenaic 
festival,  was  a defence  and  eulogy  of  Athens  as  the  great  civilizing 
force  of  Hellas. 

32.  Leontinus  Gorgias  : Gorgias  of  Leontini  (in  Sicily),  480- 
373  b.c.  He  was  a famous  sophist  and  rhetorician. 

centum  et  septem  complevit  annos : i.e.  rounded  out  the 
sum  of  one  hundred  and  seven  years. 

7 . 2.  cur  tam  diu  vellet  esse  in  vita : implying  that  he 
might  have  terminated  life  by  suicide,  a step  which  was  held  by 
the  Stoics  and  Epicureans  to  be  justifiable  under  certain  circum- 
stances. 

3.  Nihil  habeo  quod  accusem  : I have  no  reason  to  blame. 
The  exact  nature  of  the  subjunctive  after  nihil  habeo  quod  and 
nihil  est  quod  is  uncertain. 

4.  Praeclarum  responsum  : in  apposition  with  the  previous 
sentence. 

5.  docto  homine  : a scholar. 

Sua  enim  vitia,  etc.  : the  emphasis  rests  upon  sua  and  suam , 
— for  ’ tis  their  own  defects  and  their  own  faults  that  fools  lay  to 
the  charge  of  old  age. 

6.  quod  : i.e.  he  did  not  lay  his  own  defects  to  old  age. 

8.  Sicut  fortis  equos,  etc. : cited  from  the  Annals. 

fortis  equos : a gallant  steed  ; equos  was  the  spelling  of  Ennius, 
and  continued  regularly  in  vogue  till  about  the  time  of  Cicero’s 
death.  Cicero,  accordingly,  probably  wrote  equos , equom  (not 
equus,  equum ),  although  editors  hesitate  to  introduce  this  spelling 
into  our  texts.  See  B.  App.  § 57. 

spatio  supremo  : in  the  final  lap.  In  the  Greek  hippodrome 
the  chariots  raced  twelve  times  around  the  course. 

9.  Vicit  Olumpia  : has  won  an  Olympic  victory ; Cognate  Acc., 
A.  & G.  238,  a ; B.  176,  4,  a ; G.  333,  2 ; H.  371,  II.  The  expres- 
sion is  an  imitation  of  the  Greek  'OXv/jliticl  vlkoLu.  In  words  bor- 
rowed from  the  Greek,  v was  transliterated  by  Latin  u in  Ennius’s 
day,  and  in  fact  for  a century  after  his  death.  B.  App.  §1,5. 


NOTES 


53 


confectus  quiescit : the  final  s does  not  4 make  position.’  See 
note  on  plenns,  p.  1,  1.  6. 

10.  victoris  : here  used  as  an  adjective. 

suam  : sc.  senectutem. 

11.  Quem  meminisse  : when  used  of  persons  in  the  sense  of 
‘recall,’  memini  regularly  takes  the  accusative. 

probe : = bene. 

12.  hi  consules : the  present  consuls , i.e.  those  for  the  year 
150  n.c.,  when  the  conversation  is  represented  to  have  taken 
place. 

T.  Flamininus : not  the  Titus  Elamininus  mentioned  p.  1,  1.  1. 

13.  M’  : the  apostrophe  is  probably  a relic  of  an  early  M made 
with  five  strokes  which  occasionally  appears  in  archaic  inscrip- 
tions (/W). 

14.  iterum  : this  applies  to  Philippo  only.  Caepio  and  Philip- 
pus  were  colleagues  in  169  b.c. 

15.  legem  Voconiam : so  called  from  the  tribune  Quintus 
Yoconius  Saxa,  who  introduced  it.  The  purpose  of  the  law  was 
to  restrict  the  amount  of  money  bequeathed  to  women,  and  so  to 
check  their  extravagance,  as  well  as  to  prevent  the  growing  ten- 
dency toward  the  alienation  of  property  from  the  great  families. 
Cato’s  speech  in  support  of  this  law  seems  to  have  been  much  read 
in  antiquity,  and  was  still  extant  in  Livy’s  time. 

16.  bonis  lateribus  : lusty  luyigs. 

20.  Etenim : grammatically  etenim  introduces  reperio , — /or, 
when  I think  it  over , I find  four  reasons  why  old  age  seems 
wretched.  Logically,  however,  it  anticipates  the  clause  Earum  . . . 
videamus,  which  practically  means  4 No  one  of  these  four  reasons 
is  sound  ’ ; so  that  the  paragraph  as  a whole  might  be  loosely 
paraphrased  thus  : 4 For  of  the  four  reasons  which,  upon  consider- 
ation, I find  advanced  in  support  of  the  wretchedness  of  old  age, 
— of  these  four  reasons  not  one  is  sound.’  This  brings  the 
thought  into  close  connection  with  the  assertion  that  Ennius 
actually  seemed  to  enjoy  old  age,  and  furnishes  the  transition  from 
the  introductory  portion  of  the  essay  to  the  discussion  proper. 

complector  : in  this  figurative  sense  the  phrases  complector 
animo , complector  mente  are  regularly  combined  with  a direct 
object;  here  we  may  supply  in  sense  rem , 4 the  subject.’ 


54 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


21.  quod  avocet,  quod  faciat,  etc. : the  subjunctive  indicates 
that  the  reason  is  not  the  speaker’s,  but  exists  in  the  mind  of 
some  one  else,  viz.  of  those  who  think  old  age  wretched. 

22.  alteram  : = secundam,  as  often. 

25.  quamque  iusta  : qnamque  = et  quam. 


CHAPTERS  VI.- VIII. 

The  first  charge  against  old  age : It  withdraws  men  from  active 
pursuits.  True , hut  not  from  all , as  shown  in  the  lives  of  Fabri- 
cius , Curius , Coruncanius , Appius  Claudius , and  others.  “ Old 
men  for  counsel ; young  men  for  action .”  Nor  is  loss  of  memory 
a necessary  residt  of  old  age  : witness  Sophocles.  Many  old  men 
even  continue  the  personal  supervision  of  their  farms.  Old  men 
may  continue  their  earlier  studies , or  begin  new  studies ; Cato  cites 
himself  as  an  instance. 

27.  A rebus  gerendis  senectus  abstrahit : merely  a state- 
ment of  the  first  objection  brought  against  old  age. 

Quibus  : with  omission  of  the  preposition,  which  has  just  been 
expressed  with  rebus.  With  relatives  and  interrogatives,  such 
omission  is  frequent. 

28.  an  eis : is  it  not  merely  from  those?  When,  by  ellipsis  of 
the  first  member  of  a double  question,  an  stands  alone,  its  force 
must  be  determined  according  to  the  content  of  the  omitted 
member.  Here  we  may  supply  utrum  omnibus , — is  it  from  all 
matters  or  {simply)  from  those ? 

iuventute  et  viribus:  the  strength  of  youth , — hendiadys. 

29.  igitur : merely  inferential,  — are  there,  then,  no  pursuits , etc.  ? 

quae  . . . administrentur  : which  are  performed , — not  may 

be  or  can  be.  The  subjunctive  is  one  of  Characteristic. 

vel  infirmis  corporibus  : even  though  the  body  is  feeble  ; vel  is 
intensive. 

80.  tamen  : i.e.  in  spite  of  feeble  bodies.  But  to  us  the  thought 
seems  sufficiently  clear  without  this  particle. 

nihil,  ergo,  agebat,  etc. : was  it  nothing , then , that  Maximus 
did?  Notice  the  anaphora  in  nihil , nihil , nihil. 

31.  L.  Paulus,  pater  tuus  : Lucius  Aemilius  Paulus,  conqueror 


NOTES 


55 


of  the  Macedonian  king  Perseus  at  Pydna  in  168  b.c.  Scipio  was 
the  son  of  this  Paulus,  and  received  the  name  of  Scipio  as  a result 
of  his  adoption  by  L.  Cornelius  Scipio,  son  of  the  conqueror  of 
Hannibal.  To  the  name  of  his  adoptive  father,  Scipio  added  the 
cognomen  Aemilianus,  taken  from  the  gentile  name  (Aemilius)  of 
his  actual  father,  Paulus. 

8.  1.  fili  mei : Cato’s  son,  Marcus  Porcius  Cato,  married 
Aemilia,  Paulus’ s daughter.  He  died  when  praetor  elect  in  152 
b.c.,  and  is  touchingly  alluded  to  again  near  the  close  of  this  dia- 
logue, p.  36,  1.  6 ff. 

ceteri  senes:  i.e.  the  other  old  men  whom  every  one  at  once 
recalls. 

Fabricii,  Curii,  Coruncanii : the  generic  plural,  as  Scipiones , 
Maximi , p.  6,  1.  24,  i.e . Pabricius,  Curius,  Coruncanius,  and  men 
of  that  stamp.  Pabricius,  famous  for  the  simplicity  and  integrity 
of  his  character,  was  especially  conspicuous  in  the  war  against 
Pyrrhus  (281-275  b.c.).  Curius  was  a contemporary  of  Pabricius, 
and  like  him  served  with  distinction  in  the  war  against  Pyrrhus. 
Coruncanius,  though  the  least  famous  of  the  three  men  here  men- 
tioned, was  accounted  one  of  the  most  remarkable  characters  of 
his  day  (consul  280  b.c.),  and  achieved  success  in  war  with  the 
Etruscans,  as  well  as  against  Pyrrhus. 

2.  cum  . . . defendebant:  the  czm-clause  here  seems  to  be 
4 explicative,’  like  Cicero’s  cum  tacent,  clamant , ‘their  silence  is 
a shout’  ; so  here,  ivas  tlieir  defence  of  the  state  inactivity  ( nihil 
a g eh  ant ) / 

3.  Ad  Appi  Claudi,  etc. : Appius  Claudius , besides  being  old , 
was  also  blind ; lit.  to  the  old  age  of  Appius  it  teas  added  that  he 
was  blind.  Appius  was  censor  in  312  b.c.,  and  consul  in  306  and 
295.  The  Appia  Via  was  constructed  under  his  supervision. 

5.  ad  pacem  . . . faciendum : faciendum  is  to  be  taken  with 
pacem  as  well  as  with  foedus. 

7.  persecutus  est : has  set  forth. 

8.  Quo  vobis,  etc.  ■:  the  citation  is  from  the  Annals ; vobis  is 
the  so-called  Ethical  Dative. 

rectae  quae  stare  solebant : rectae  seems  here  used  figura- 
tively for  sound , sane , and  to  be  contrasted  with  dementes  in  the 
next  line. 


56 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


9.  Antehac  : here  dissyllabic  by  synezesis. 

dementes : with  adverbial  force,  — senselessly ; mentes  dementes 
illustrates  the  figure  called  oxymoron  (‘  contradiction  ’),  senseless 
senses. 

via!  : archaic  genitive,  dependent  upon  quo , — lit.  whither  of  the 
way. 

10.  ceteraque:  i.e.  the  other  points  of  Appius’s  speech. 

gravissime : most  impressively. 

carmen : the  poem , passage. 

11.  et  tamen : and  apart  from  that , i.e.  apart  from  Ennius’s 
account,  Appius’s  own  speech  is  also  preserved.  It  was  still 
extant  a hundred  years  later  in  Cicero’s  day. 

13.  cum  . . . interfuissent  censorque  . . . fuisset : we  have 
here  an  illustration  of  the  most  extreme  development  of  the  cum- 
clause  of  situation  or  circumstance.  All  temporal  notion  has  van- 
ished, and  only  the  circumstantial  force  is  left.  The  nearest 
English  equivalent  is  the  awkward  nominative  absolute,  — ten 
years  having  intervened  between  the  two  consulships , and  the  censor- 
ship having  preceded  his  first  consulship.  Other  instances  of  the 
same  use  of  cum  may  be  seen  p.  13,  1.  15,  cum  pontifex  maximus 
f actus  esset,  ‘ having  been  made  pontifex  maximus  ’ ; p.  18,  1.  9, 
cum  ei  sermoni  interfuisset  Plato , ‘Plato  having  been  present  at 
that  conversation.  ’ 

14.  ex  quo  intellegitur : from  which  it  is  ( readily ) under- 
stood. 

15.  Pyrrhi  bello  : Ablative  of  Time. 

grandem  sane : quite  an  old  man ; he  had  been  elected  to  the 
censorship  in  312  b.c.  As  the  office  of  censor  was  one  of  great 
dignity,  it  is  unlikely  that  Appius  was  less  than  forty  years  of  age 
at  the  time  he  filled  it.  This  would  make  him  over  seventy  years 
old  at  the  time  referred  to. 

16.  sic : viz.  that  he  was  able  to  determine  the  public  policy 
at  this  advanced  age. 

nihil  afferunt:  adduce  no  argument , i.e.  no  argument  that 
proves  old  age  wretched. 

17.  similesque  sunt  ut  si  qui  . . . dicant:  the  diction  is 
clumsy  and  unusual ; evidently  Cicero  has  combined  two  forms  of 
expressing  the  same  idea  : 


NOTES 


57 


(1)  They  are  like  those  who  say  ( eorum  similes  sunt  qui  dicunt). 

(2)  As  if  any  persons  should  say  ( ut  si  qui  dicant ) See  Criti- 

cal Appendix. 

scandant,  cursent,  exhauriant,  sedeat : the  subjunctives  are 
due  to  the  indirect  discourse. 

21.  quietus:  without  moving  ( from  his  place). 

non  facit : sc.  senectus. 

22.  non  viribus  aut  velocitate,  etc.  : these  phrases  are  made 
emphatic  by  their  position,  — His  not  by  strength  of  body , or  by 
speed  of  movement  or  swiftness,  that  great  matters  are  accomplished ; 
corporum  limits  viribus  as  well  as  velocitate  and  celeritate. 

24.  consilio,  auctoritate,  sententia:  deliberation,  influence, 
judgment. 

quibus,  etc. : an  illustration  of  the  construction  called  air 6 kolvov 
(‘in  common’),  by  which  a single  word  or  phrase  is  made  to  limit 
two  different  words,  each  in  a different  construction.  Thus  here 
quibus  is  Ablative  of  Separation  with  orbari,  but  Ablative  of 
Specification  with  augeri , lit.  ( qualities ) of  which  old  age  is 
not  only  not  ivont  to  be  deprived,  but  in  respect  to  which  it  is 
even  wont  to  be  increased  ( i.e . more  liberally  endowed).  See 
Critical  Appendix. 

26.  Nisi  forte : this  phrase  regularly,  as  here,  implies  that  the 
supposition  is  absurd. 

miles  et  tribunus  et  legatus  et  consul:  note  the  emphasis 
gained  by  the  polysyndeton,  et  ...  et  ...  et  ...  et.  There 
were  six  tribuni  militum  in  a legion  ; they  commanded  in  turn, 
each  for  two  months.  The  legatus  stood  next  to  the  commander- 
in-chief,  and  was  under  his  immediate  supervision  ; the  consul, 
when  he  took  the  field,  was  the  commanding  general. 

27.  vario  genere  : the  English  idiom  is  various  kinds. 

28.  nunc  videor,  etc.  : join  nunc  closely  with  cum,  — now  that. 

30.  male  iam  diu  cogitanti:  which  has  long  been  plotting 

mischief. 

bellum  multo  ante  denuntio : Cato  means  that  he  declares 
war  against  Carthage  long  before  the  actual  commencement  of 
hostilities.  He  saw  the  approaching  conflict,  and  did  his  best  to 
precipitate  it,  regularly  ending  his  speeches  in  the  Senate  with  the 
declaration  : censeo  Karthaginem  esse  delendam. 


58 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


9.  1.  Quam  palmam : this  glory , i.e.  of  destroying  Carthage. 
Cicero  cleverly  utilizes  the  subsequent  overthrow  and  destruction 
of  Carthage  by  Scipio  in  146  b.c.  (four  years  after  the  date  of  this 
dialogue). 

2.  ut  . . . persequare  : explanatory  of  palmam,  — of  complet- 
ing what  your  grandfather  left  undone ; the  reference  in  avi  is  to 
the  elder  Scipio,  the  hero  of  the  Second  Punic  War. 

3.  tertius  et  tricesimus  annus : this  is  inaccurate.  Scipio 
died  in  185  b.c.,  thirty-jive  years  before  the  date  of  the  dialogue. 

excipient:  lit.  take  up,  i.e.  one  after  another,  and  so  transmit, 
perpetuate.  Cf.  Livy,  XXXVIII,  22.  3,  pugnam  excipere. 

6.  cum  . . . creatus  esset : having  been  chosen  consul  a second 
time  in  my  consulship.  The  cwm-clause  is  like  cum  . . . inter- 
fuissent,  p.  8,  1.  13. 

7.  Num  igitur,  etc.  : igitur  as  p.  7,  1.  29. 

8.  paeniteret:  referring  to  present  time,  — would  he  now  be 
regretting  ? Had  Scipio  lived  to  his  hundredth  year,  he  would  have 
been  eighty-four  at  the  time  of  the  dialogue ; hence  the  use  of  the 
imperfect  tense. 

9.  nec  enim  . . . uteretur : no  ! for  he  would  not  be  making 
use. 

excursione,  saltu:  i.e.  in  military  operations. 

10.  consilio,  ratione,  sententia : see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  24,  con- 

silio,  auctoritate,  sententia;  ratio  is  reason,  i.e.  the  exercise  of 
the  reasoning  faculties. 

11.  quae  nisi  essent,  etc. : unless  these  qualities  were  in  old 
men. 

12.  summum  consilium  : the  highest  deliberative  body. 

13.  quidem:  in  fact. 

14.  ut  sunt:  just  as  they  are  ( old  men').  The  reference  is  to 
the  ytpovres  or  councillors  (lit.  old  men),  who  formed  the  so-called 
yepovala.  Cicero’s  point  is  that,  while  the  Romans  called  their 
councillors  senatores  (a  word  suggesting  senex),  the  Lacedaemo- 
nians called  their  councillors  senes  outright. 

15.  Quodsi  voletis : if  you  will  (only),  — not  so  strong  as  wish 
in  this  instance. 

16.  externa : foreign  history. 

18.  cedo : tell  me.  The  verse  is  an  iambic  tetrameter  (or 


NOTES 


59 


octonarius)  and  consists  of  four  iambic  dipodies,  or  in  all  eight 
feet. 

Its  scansion  is : 

Cedo  quf  | vestram  | rcm  pu  | blicam  | tantam  a | misis  | tis  tam  | cito 

Its  metrical  scheme  is : 

| _ Z.  | W _ II  _ Z.  I I - Z.  | W 

As  may  be  seen  from  this  scheme,  the  spondee  and  anapaest 
(w  w Z_)  may  be  used  in  place  of  the  iambus  Z_).  The  so- 
called  ictus  is  prominent  only  in  alternate  feet. 

qui:  how f 

19.  in  Naevi  poetae  Lupo:  in  * The  Wolf  ’ of  the  poet  Naevius. 
Naevius  was  one  of  the  very  earliest  Latin  writers  (269-199  b.c.). 
Of  his  numerous  works,  Bellum  Punicum  (a  poem  in  Saturnian 
measure  on  the  First  Punic  War),  tragedies  and  comedies,  only  a 
few  brief  fragments  have  come  down  to  us.  The  play  from  which 
the  above  line  is  quoted  was  also  called  the  Alimonia  Romuli  et 
Remi,  and  dealt  with  the  story  of  the  twins.  It  belongs  to  the 
class  of  plays  known  as  fabulae  praetextae  or  historical  dramas, 
of  which  Naevius  is  known  to  have  composed  three.  It  has  been 
conjectured  that  the  words  above  cited  were  addressed  by  Amulius 
to  the  ambassadors  whom  the  Veientian  King  Vibe  had  dispatched 
to  the  Alban  court.  The  answer  to  the  question  is  given  in  the 
words  : Proveniebant  oratores,  etc.  See  Critical  Appendix. 

respondentur  et  alia  et  hoc  in  primis  : other  replies  are  given, 
but  this  in  particular. 

21.  Proveniebant  oratores,  etc.:  also  an  iambic  tetrameter. 
The  scansion  is: 

Proveni  | ebant  | ora  | tores  ||  novf  | stult1  adu  | lescen  | tuli 

The  metrical  scheme  is : 

- C KJ  I I _ Z.  I 

In  the  first  and  sixth  feet,  a dactyl  is  substituted  for  the  normal 
iambus. 

stulti,  adulescentuli : fools , boys.  The  point  is  not  that  these 
particular  youths  were  fools,  but  that  youths  who  undertake  to 


60 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


wrest  the  control  of  government  from  older  men,  are  fools  as  a 
class  (Meissner). 

22.  Temeritas  est  videlicet,  etc.  : rashness,  it  is  plain  to  see , 
is  a characteristic  of  youth  ( florentis  aetatis). 

24.  At  memoria  minuitur:  hut,  it  is  alleged , memory  is  im- 
paired. This  use  of  at  to  introduce  the  view  of  an  opponent  is 
very  common  in  argumentation. 

Credo : I suppose  so  ; not  ironical. 

nisi  earn  exerceas:  unless  you  exercise  it;  the  second  singu- 
lar is  used  of  an  indefinite  subject  precisely  like  our  English 
‘you.’ 

25.  natura  tardior  : naturally  rather  dull. 

26.  perceperat : knew,  lit.  had  acquired. 

27.  qui  Aristides  esset,  etc. : to  greet  Aristides  as  Lysimaclius. 
As  object  of  salutare  understand  eum , to  which  Lysimachum  stands 
in  the  relation  of  predicate  accusative.  There  is  a certain  dry 
humor  in  the  illustration  chosen  by  Cato.  The  rivalry  between 
Themistocles  and  Aristides  had  been  so  keen  that  Themistocles 
was  hardly  likely  to  forget  his  old  opponent  or  to  confuse  him  with 
another  man.  Lysimachus  was  Aristides’s  father. 

28.  Equidem : while  not  etymologically  connected  with  ego, 
this  word  in  Cicero  is  regularly  equivalent  to  ego  quidem , 4 1 for 
my  part,’  ‘I  at  least,’  etc. 

29.  qui  sunt : who  are  still  living. 

30.  nec  sepulcra  legens,  etc.  : nor  am  I afraid  of  losing  my 
memory  by  reading  epitaphs,  as  they  say. 

quodaiunt:  quod  refers  loosely  for  its  antecedent  to  the  idea 
suggested  by  the  context,  viz. : Those  who  read  epitaphs,  lose  their 
memory.  Doubtless  this  saying  was  largely  true,  in  so  far,  at 
least,  as  those  who  were  found  engaged  in  studying  the  tombstones 
were  already  old  men  of  waning  faculties. 

31.  his  ipsis  legendis  : by  reading  these  very  tombstones. 

10.  1.  quemquam  senem  : any  old  man.  The  use  of  quisquam 
(for  ullus ) as  an  adjective,  though  not  frequent,  is  well  attested  for 
Cicero,  e.g.  de  Officiis,  III,  101,  civi  cuiquam. 

2.  omnia  quae  curant : all  things  in  which  they  take  interest. 

3.  vadimonia  constituta  : the  bail  they  have  given , lit.  the  bail 
fixed,  viz.,  by  the  court. 


NOTES 


61 


4.  Quid  iuris  consulti,  etc.  : senes  belongs  with  all  these  nomi- 
natives, — how  is  it  in  case  of  aged  lawyers , aged  pontiffs , aged, 
augurs , aged  philosophers , lit.  jurists  as  old  men , augurs  as  old 
men,  etc.  Some  verb  is  to  be  supplied  in  sense  with  these  words, 
fecerunt , for  example. 

5.  Quam  multa  meminerunt : how  many  things  they  ( are 
obliged  to)  remember;  i.e.  the  very  nature  of  their  profession 
obliges  them  to  possess  retentive  memories. 

6.  Manent:  emphatic  by  position. 

ingenia : faculties. 

modo  permaneat,  etc. : provided  only  interest  and  industry 
continue . 

8.  honoratis : this  word  does  not  here  mean  honored , but 
designates  men  distinguished  by  holding  public  offices,  honores. 

9.  Sophocles  : the  greatest  of  the  Greek  tragedians.  He  lived 
from  496-406  b.c.  Seven  of  his  tragedies  have  come  down  to  us. 

10.  quod  propter  studium  cum  . . . videretur : and  when  in 
consequence  of  this  pursuit  he  seemed. 

11.  a filiis : the  common  account  attributes  this  action  to  a 
single  son,  Iophon ; but  the  whole  story  is  apocryphal. 

12.  quem  ad  modum  male  rem  gerentibus,  etc. : just  as 
fathers  who  mismanage  their  estates  are  wont  to  be  removed  from 
{control  of)  their  property,  lit.  it  is  wont  to  be  interdicted  to  fathers 
from  their  property  ; patribus  is  dative  of  reference  ; bonis,  ablative 
of  separation.  A.  & G.  225,  d,  N.  1 ; B.  188,  1,  a ; G.  390,  2,  N.  3. 

nostro  more : this  Roman  custom  was  legally  recognized  in  the 
Laws  of  the  Twelve  Tables  (about  450  b.c.). 

13.  quasi  desipientem : as  being  in  his  dotage. 

15.  eamfabulam:  the  play. 

quam  in  manibus  habebat : which  he  had  in  hand,  on  which 
he  was  engaged.  For  another  sense  of  in  manibus,  see  p.  6, 1.  11. 

16.  et  proxime  scripserat : and  upon  which  he  had  just  been 
writing.  The  pluperfect  here,  in  addition  to  its  usual  force,  seems 
to  denote  the  act  as  in  process. 

Oedipum  Coloneum  : the  Oedipus  at  Coldnus.  Coloneus  is  an 
adjective.  The  play  has  come  down  to  us,  and  represents  the  aged 
Oedipus  arriving  in  his  wanderings  at  the  Attic  deme  of  Colonus. 
The  tradition  is  that  the  passage  chosen  by  the  poet  for  recitation 


62 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


on  the  occasion  referred  to  was  the  magnificent  choral  ode  in  praise 
of  Athens  (verses  668-719),  a part  of  which  runs  as  follows : 

Of  all  the  lands  far  famed  for  goodly  steeds, 

Thon  com’st,  O stranger,  to  the  noblest  spot, 

Colonos,  glistening  bright, 

Where,  evermore,  in  thickets  freshly  green, 

The  clear-voiced  nightingale 
Still  haunts,  and  pours  her  song, 

By  purpling  ivy  hid, 

And  the  thick  leafage  sacred  to  the  God. 

— Plumptre’s  Translation. 

17.  num  illud  carmen,  etc.:  whether  that  poem  seemed  ( the 
work)  of  a dotard. 

18.  sententiis  : votes. 

liberatus  : in  the  judicial  sense,  — acquitted. 

19.  Homerum,  Hesiodum,  etc. : the  enumeration  of  distin- 
guished names  embraces  three  classes ; poets  (Homer,  Hesiod, 
Simonides,  Stesichorus) , rhetoricians  (Isocrates,  Gorgias),  philoso- 
phers (Pythagoras,  Democritus,  etc.).  It  should  be  borne  in  mind 
that  Cato  here  mentions  only  those  poets,  rhetoricians,  and  philoso- 
phers who  lived  to  an  advanced  age. 

Hesiodum : Hesiod , a native  of  Ascra  in  Boeotia,  flourished 
about  750  b.c.  His  greatest  work,  the  Works  and  Days  ("E/rya 
Kal  'H/zfyai)  suggested  much  to  Yirgil  in  the  composition  of  the 
Georgies. 

20.  Simonides : Simdnides.  There  were  two  poets  of  this  name, 
— Simonides  of  Amorgos  and  Simonides  of  Ceos.  The  latter  was 
the  more  famous  of  the  two  ; he  flourished  at  the  time  of  the  Per- 
sian wars  (490-480  b.c.),  and  composed  the  extant  epigram  in 
honor  of  the  Spartans  who  fell  at  Thermopylae. 

Stesichorum : Stesichorus , a famous  lyric  poet  of  Himera  in 
Sicily.  He  flourished  about  600  b.c.  All  his  works  are  lost  barring 
a few  fragments.  It  is  said  that  a nightingale  sang  upon  his  lips 
at  his  birth. 

Isocraten,  G-orgian  : see  note  on  p.  6,  11.  29,  32.  Isocrates , 
though  of  the  3d  declension,  forms  its  accusative  after  the  analogy 
of  Greek  nouns  in  -es  of  the  1st  declension.  Similarly  Xeno - 
craten  below. 


NOTES 


63 


21.  Pythagoram  : Pythagoras  of  Samos,  founder  of  the  Pythag- 
orean school.  He  flourished  in  the  latter  half  of  the  sixth  century 
b.c.  Mysticism  was  a pronounced  feature  in  his  system ; his 
most  famous  doctrine  was  the  theory  of  transmigration  of  souls 
(Metempsychosis) . 

22.  Democritum : Democritus , of  Abdera  in  Thrace,  460-361 
b.c.,  one  of  the  earliest  representatives  of  the  atomic  theory. 

Xenocraten  : XenOcrates , of  Chalc&lon,  396-314  b.c.,  a pupil  of 
Plato,  and  one  of  his  successors  in  the  presidency  of  the  Academy, 
— a post  which  he  occupied  for  twenty-five  years. 

23.  Zenonem:  Zeno,  of  Citium  in  Cyprus,  about  350-250  b.c. 
He  was  founder  of  the  Stoic  school,  of  which  he  was  for  nearly 
sixty  years  the  president. 

Cleanthem:  Cleanthes , of  Assos,  300-220  b.c.,  a Stoic  and  a 
disciple  of  Zeno. 

24.  Diogenem  Stoicum : Didgenes,  the  Stoic , not  to  be  con- 
founded with  Diogenes,  the  Cynic.  He  had  visited  Rome  in  155 
b.c.,  five  years  previous  to  the  time  of  this  dialogue,  and  was  evi- 
dently an  old  man  at  that  time,  though  the  years  of  his  birth  and 
death  are  unknown.  He  had  come  to  Rome  in  company  with 
Carneades  and  Critolaus  as  an  ambassador,  and  during  his  stay  had 
begun  to  expound  his  philosophical  views.  Cato’s  opposition  to 
Greek  ideas  was  so  deeply  rooted  that  he  took  the  lead  in  securing 
Diogenes’s  departure  from  the  city.  The  enthusiasm,  therefore, 
with  which  Cicero  makes  Cato  refer  to  Diogenes  is  not  in  keeping 
with  the  facts. 

26.  Age  : come  ! 

27.  ista  divina  studia  : viz.,  poetry,  philosophy,  etc. 

ex  agro  Sabino  rusticos : farmers  in  the  Sabine  territory. 

29.  numquam  fere : scarcely  ever. 

30.  maiora  : important , lit.,  greater  (than  ordinary). 

non  serendis,  etc.  : not  in  the  way  of  planting , gathering , or 
storing  the  crops.  Notice  the  zeugma  in  serendis  fructibus ; 
accuracy  would  call  for  some  such  word  as  seminibus.  The  use  of 
the  ablative  here  without  in  is  extremely  peculiar ; most  scholars 
explain  the  construction  as  an  ablative  absolute.  Observe  that 
non  here  does  not  counteract  the  negative  force  of  numquam , but 
repeats  it.  A.  & G.  209,  a,  2;  B.  347,  2;  G.  445;  H.  553,  2. 


64 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


31.  in  aliis  : in  other  tilings;  aliis  is  here  contrasted  with  the 
following  quae  sciunt  nihil  ad  se  omnino  pertinere , and  hence  prac- 
tically means  : in  matters  that  concern  them.  On  the  use  of  neuter 
adjectives  as  substantives  in  oblique  cases,  see  note  on  p.  2,  1.  8. 

32.  senex  : here  with  adjective  force. 

11.  1.  idem:  nominative  plural, — they  also. 

2.  pertinere  : in  the  sense  of  vitally  concern. 

3.  Serit  arbores,  etc.  : this  line  is  a Bacchiac  Tetrameter  : 


By  a metrical  license  the  i of  serit  is  here  long.  Note  that  a long 
syllable  may  be  substituted  for  the  short  of  the  Bacchfus. 

quae  . . . prosint : to  benefit , — relative  clause  of  purpose. 

alteri  saeclo : the  next  (lit.  the  other)  generation.  Note  that 
saeclum  is  the  original  form  of  this  word,  whence  saeculum  by  the 
development  of  a parasitic  vowel.  B.  App.  § 91. 

4.  Statius : Caecilius  Statius,  by  birth  an  Insubrian  Gaul.  He 
was  a comic  poet,  and  lived  about  220-166  b.c.  Only  fragments 
of  his  works  remain. 

in  Synephebis : in  his  Synephebi , the  title  of  a play.  The 
original  was  by  the  Greek  poet  Menander ; Caecilius  translated 
and  adapted  it  for  Roman  audiences. 

5.  quamvis  sit  senex  : however  old  he  may  be. 

quaerenti : to  ( the  person)  inquiring. 

9.  melius  : supply  some  such  verb  as  dicit , — Caecilius  gives  us 
a better  sentiment  (lit.  says  better)  with  regard  to  the  old  man , etc. 
The  passage  from  et  melius  to  sed  videtis,  sixteen  lines  below,  is 
really  a digression  from  the  point  at  present  under  discussion. 
Cato  is  endeavoring  to  show  that  old  men  even  superintend  the 
work  on  their  own  farms.  In  developing  this  point  he  quotes  two 
passages  from  Statius  in  support  of  his  contention.  These  two 
citations  lead  to  others,  which,  though  they  are  concerned  with 
the  general  subject  of  old  age,  are  nevertheless  not  germane  to  the 
present  topic,  viz.,  the  allegation  that  old  age  withdraws  men  from 
active  occupation.  See  the  note  on  p.  5,  1.  13. 

10.  quam  illud  idem  ; than  he  does  in  what  follows , lit.  than 
the  same  ( Caecilius  says)  the  following. 

11.  Edepol,  senectus,  etc.  : these  lines  are  quoted  from  Sta- 


NOTES 


65 


tius’s  Plocium  (The  Necklace).  Like  the  couplet  below,  they  are 
Iambic  Trimeter  (Senarii).  The  metrical  scheme  is: 


'J  u Z.  | 
/ I 


_Z| I w w Z| 

_ Z | ^ | _ Z | 

_Z|  w_|  _ Z | 


w 

w 

w 


Anapaests  and  spondees  are  freely  substituted  for  the  iambus  in 
all  feet  except  the  last ; in  the  last  line  din  makes  one  syllable  by 
synezesis. 

nil  . . . viti : no  other  evil ; quicquam  is  redundant. 

12.  Apportes  : should  bring. 

quom  : the  earlier  form  of  cwm,  and  possibly  still  in  common  use 
when  Cicero  wrote  the  de  Senectute. 

sat : sat  for  satis  is  common  in  archaic  Latin. 

13.  quae  non  volt,  videt : the  subject  is  general,  — one  sees 
many  things  that  one  does  not  wish;  volt , the  early  form  of  vult, 
may  have  been  still  the  prevailing  form  in  Cicero’s  day.  In  the 
next  two  lines  volt  is  written  by  most  editors,  on  the  assumption 
that  Cicero  intentionally  reproduces  the  diction  of  Caecilius. 

15.  Illud  vero,  etc.  : but  the  following  utterance  of  the  same 
Caecilius  is  still  worse , lit.  the  same  Caecilius  (says)  the  following 
worse. 

17.  Turn  equidem,  etc. : quoted  from  Caecilius’s  Ephesio.  The 
metrical  scheme  is : 


KJ  

— \j 


\j 




The  dactyl  replaces  the  iambus  in  the  fourth  foot  of  the  second 
line  ; eumpse  is  read  as  a dissyllable  by  synezesis. 
senecta  : poetical  and  post-Augustan  for  senectus. 
deputo  : ante-  and  post-classical  for  puto. 

18.  ea  aetate  : at  that  time  of  life;  the  phrase  limits  sentire. 
eumpse:  i.e.  eum  -f  pse  (B.  App.  § 196),  archaic  for  ipsum ; 
cf.  ipse  for  *is:pse ; eumpse  is  the  subject  of  esse , and  is  equivalent 
to  se  ipsum , ‘ oneself.  ’ 
odiosum : a bore. 

alteri : sc.  aetati , i.e.  to  the  young,  lit.  to  the  other  period  of 
life.  See  Critical  Appendix. 


66 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


19.  Iucundum  potius  quam  odiosum  : preserve  the  ellipsis 

in  translation. 

24.  nec  minus  intellego : the  inaccuracy  of  expression  is 
identical  with  that  noted  p.  1,1.  11,  te  suspicor  eisdem  rebus  qui- 
bus  me  ipsum  commoveri.  What  Cato  really  means  is  : I see  that 
I am  no  less  agreeable  to  you  than  you  actually  are  to  me. 
Strictly  the  Latin  should  be : nec  minus  intellego  me  vobis  esse 
iucundum  quam  mihi  vos  estis. 

25.  Sed  videtis  : Cato  here  returns  from  his  somewhat  lengthy 
digression  (see  above  on  1.  9),  and  resumes  the  point  under  dis- 
cussion, viz.,  the  activity  of  old  men. 

ut  senectus,  etc. : how  old  age , etc. ; indirect  question. 

26.  verum  etiam : but  even. 

27.  agens  et  moliens  : doing  and  undertaking;  this  predicate 
use  of  the  present  participle  is  rare. 

tale  scilicet,  etc.  : some  such  thing , of  course,  as,  etc.  The 
occupation  of  the  old  man  will  depend  upon  his  earlier  pursuits. 

28.  Quid  ? etc. : what  of  those  who,  etc.  ? 

29.  ut  et  Bolonem  versibus  gloriantem  videmus  : et  before 
Solonem  is  correlative  with  the  et  before  ego  below,  but  should 
not  be  rendered  in  English  translation.  Solon  is  the  famous 
Athenian  lawgiver,  638-558  b.c.  He  was  a poet  as  well  as  a states- 
man, and  numerous  fragments  of  his  works  have  come  down  to 
us.  The  line  here  referred  to  by  Cicero  is  cited  by  Plutarch  in  his 
life  of  Solon,  c.  31,  7?7/)dcr/ca>  5’  aid  rroWa  dtSaaKd/uievos.  On  glori- 
antem videmus,  see  A.  & G.  292,  e ; B.  337,  3 ; G.  536  ; H.  535,  4. 

12.  1.  et  ego  feci : and  ( just  as)  I have  done. 

senex  : when  an  old  man. 

2.  sic  avide  : so  eagerly.  See  Critical  Appendix. 

3.  nota  essent : became  known,  familiar. 

quibus  me  nunc  exemplis  uti  videtis  : which  you  now  see 
me  using  as  examples;  exemplis  stands  in  predicate  relation  to 
quibus,  which  depends  directly  upon  uti.  The  passage  is  some- 
what apologetic.  Cicero  evidently  feels  that  his  picture  of  Cato 
attributes  to  the  old  Roman  a greater  familiarity  with  Greek 
thought  and  letters  than  he  actually  possessed  ; hence  the  attempt 
to  account  for  the  origin  of  the  alleged  learning.  See  Introd. 
§ 4,  a. 


NOTES 


67 


4.  quod  cum  . . . audirem : quod  refers  to  the  idea  of  con- 
stantly adding  to  one’s  knowledge  or  accomplishments. 

5.  in  fidibus  : in  case  of  the  lyre. 

vellem : apodosis  of  a conditional  sentence  of  the  contrary-to- 
fact  type,  with  omitted  protasis. 

6.  discebant  fidibus:  used  to  learn  the  lyre , lit.  learn  with 
the  lyre.  B.  218,  7.  Many  scholars  suggest  supplying  canere , 
‘play,’  here. 

in  litteris  certe : on  literature  at  any  rate , i.e.  if  not  on  any- 
thing else. 


CHAPTERS  IX.-XI. 

The  second  charge : Old  age  lacks  the  strength  of  youth.  But 
old  age  does  not  need  great  strength.  Moreover , by  temperance 
one  can  preserve  one's  youthful  vigor  even  to  an  advanced  old 
age , as  shown  by  numerous  instances , — Cyrus , Metellus , Masi- 
nissa. 

8.  desidero  : feel  the  need  of  the  lack  of. 

9.  locus  alter : the  second  point. 

10.  non  plus  : the  negative  as  p.  4,  1.  30. 

11.  Quod  est : ivhat  you  have;  the  antecedent  of  quod  is  eo. 
On  the  use  of  the  oblique  cases  of  pronouns  in  the  neuter,  see 

p.  2,  1.  8. 

quicquid  agas  : clauses  introduced  by  indefinite  relatives  ( quis - 
quis  quicumque , etc.)  ordinarily  stand  in  the  indicative  ; but  all 
subordinate  clauses  expressed  in  the  indefinite  second  singular 
regularly  take  the  subjunctive. 

12.  Quae  vox : what  utterance  ? 

13.  Milonis  Crotoniatae  : Milo  of  Crotdna , in  southern  Italy, 
a famous  athlete  of  the  sixth  century  b.c.  He  won  repeated 
victories  in  the  Olympic  and  Pythian  games. 

qui  cum,  etc.  : for  when  he  was , etc. 

16.  hi  quidem  : almost  these , alas  ! 

17.  isti  : sc.  sunt  mortui. 

ex  lateribus  : in  consequence  of  your  wind;  latera  is  used  as 
above,  p.  7,  1.  16,  lungs. 

19.  Nihil,  nihil,  nihil : note  the  anaphora. 


68 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


Sex.  Aelius  : Sextus  Aelius , consul  198  b.c.,  famous  as  a jurist 
and  an  orator.  He  wrote  a commentary  on  the  Twelve  Tables. 

20.  Ti.  Coruncanius:  see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  1. 

modo : recently. 

P.  Crassus : the  use  of  modo  would  suggest  that  the  reference 
is  to  some  one  nearer  the  present  time  than  either  Coruncanius  or 
Aelius.  Publius  Licinius  Crassus,  consul  in  171  b.c.,  naturally  sug- 
gests himself  as  the  person  Cicero  has  in  mind.  That  Crassus,  how- 
ever, was  not  eminent  as  a jurist,  and  Cicero  has  probably  confused 
him  with  P.  Licinius  Crassus  Dives,  pontifex  maximus  in  212  b.c. 
and  consul  in  205,  a man  famed  for  his  knowledge  of  pontifical  law. 

iura  praescribebantur  : laws  were  interpreted. 

22.  est  provecta  : continued. 

prudentia : wisdom. 

Orator  metuo  ne  languescat : as  the  order  of  the  words 
shows,  Orator  is  here  emphatic,  — as  regards  the  orator , I fear  he 
may  become  feeble. 

23.  senectute  : causal. 

munus  eius  : his  function. 

24.  Omnino  canorum  illud,  etc. : to  be  sure  that  melodious 
quality  in  the  voice  somehow  even  improves  in  old  age.  Note  the 
mixed  metaphor  in  canorum  . . . splendescit ; splendesco  properly 
applies  only  to  what  presents  itself  to  the  eye.  Omnino  is  con- 
trasted with  sed  tamen , — ‘to  be  sure  the  voice  improves ; yet 
apart  from  that  an  old  man’s  talk  is  often  engaging.’ 

27.  et  videtis  annos : though  grammatically  co-ordinate  with 
what  precedes,  this  clause  is  logically  subordinate,  being  equiva- 
lent to  ‘ old  though  I am  ’ or  ‘ in  spite  of  my  years.’ 

sed  tamen  est,  etc. : but  yet  the  quiet  and  unimpassioned  con- 
versation of  an  old  man  has  a grace  about  it. 

28.  quietus  et  remissus  : quietus  = ‘without  movement,’  as 
contrasted  with  the  lively  gesticulation  of  the  orator ; remissus  = 
‘without  passion,’  i.e.  without  the  mental  and  moral  excitement 
of  the  orator. 

facit  sibi  audientiam  : gains  itself  a hearing. 

29.  compta  et  mitis  : smooth  and  easy. 

Quam  si  . . . nequeas : if  you  should  be  unable  to  practise 
this;  quam  refers  to  oratio. 


NOTES 


69 


30.  Scipioni  et  Laelio : a Scipio  and  a Laelius. 

31.  senectute  stipata  studiis  iuventutis : an  old  age  thronged 
with  eager  youths , lit.  with  the  eagerness  of  youth  ; the  abstract  for 
the  concrete.  Notice  the  alliteration  in  senectute  stipata  studiis. 

32.  An  ne  illas  quidem  vires,  etc. : or  do  ice  leave  to  old  age 
not  even  the  strength  to  teach  young  men;  illas  vires  is  explained 
by  the  following  w£-clauses. 

13.  1.  instituat : instruct. 

2.  ad  omne  offici  rnunus : for  the  performance  of  every  duty , 
lit.  for  all  performance  of  duty. 

instruat : prepare , equip;  cf.  instrumentum , 4 outfit,’  4 equip- 
ment,’ instructus , 4 fitted  out,’  ‘equipped.’ 

quo  quidem,  etc. : and  than  this  task  what  can  he  more 
glorious  ! 

3.  Cn.  et  P.  Scipiones : these  were  respectively  the  uncle  and 
father  of  the  elder  Africanus.  They  both  rendered  important  ser- 
vices in  the  earlier  half  of  the  Second  Punic  War,  and  fell  in 
Spain  in  212  b.c.  Note  the  plural  in  Scipiones ; this  is  usual  when 
two  persons  of  the  same  family  are  -combined  by  a copulative 
conjunction. 

4.  avi  tui  duo,  L.  Aemilius  et  P.  Africanus : Lucius  Aemilius 
(Paulus),  the  father  of  Lucius  Aemilius  Paulus  Macedonicus,  the 
conqueror  of  Perseus,  was  the  actual  grandfather  of  the  younger 
Scipio  ; Publius  Africanus  was  his  adoptive  grandfather. 

6.  bonarum  artium : liberal  arts. 

non  beati  putandi : are  to  he  thought  other  than  happy  ; cf.  p.  4, 
1.  31,  non  gravis  ; sunt  is  to  be  supplied  with  putandi. 

7.  quamvis  consenuerint  vires,  etc.  : however  much  their 
strength  may  have  waned  and  failed. 

8.  Etsi : corrective. 

10.  effetum : best  taken  as  in  predicate  relation  to  corpus, — 
hands  the  body  over  to  old  age  all  worn  out,  i.e.  in  a state  of 
exhaustion. 

11.  Cyrus:  Cyrus  the  Elder,  king  of  Persia,  the  hero  of  Xeno- 
phon’s Cyropaedfa.  He  lived  from  599  to  529  b.c.  The  conversa- 
tion here  referred  to  is  given  in  Cyropaedia,  VIII,  7,  6. 

apud  Xenophontem  : in  Xenophon,  i.e.  in  his  writings,  — a 
common  use  of  apud. 


70 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


14.  Metellum:  consul  in  251  b.c.,  in  the  First  Punic  War;  he 
died  in  221. 

15.  memini  puer : the  expression  is  inexact.  Cicero  has  evi- 
dently combined  two  ideas: 

(1)  ‘As  a boy,  I noticed  that  Metellus  was  strong.’ 

(2)  ‘ I now  remember  that  Metellus  was  strong.’ 

English  admits  the  same  form  of  expression,  however. 

cum  factus  esset : the  cwm-clause  is  purely  circumstantial,  — 
having  been  made  pontifex  maximus ; see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  13. 

17.  esse  : the  present  infinitive  occurs  repeatedly  with  memini 
where  in  English  we  should  expect  the  perfect. 

19.  nihil  necesse  est : it  is  not  at  all  necessary. 

20.  id  quidem  : i.e.  to  speak  of  one’s  self. 

senile  : characteristic  of  old  men . 

22.  Videtisne  : don't  you  see  ; when  appended  to  the  verb,  - ne 
frequently  has  the  force  of  nonne.  A.  & G.  210 ; B.  162,  2,  c. 

ut:  how , as  above,  p.  11,  1.  25. 

23.  praedicet : here,  boasts. 

24.  nec  erat  ei  verendum : nor  did  he  have  occasion  to 
fear . 

25.  vera  praedicans  : in  telling  the  truth. 

26.  insolens  aut  loquax : arrogant  or  garrulous. 

ex  eius  lingua  melle  dulcior,  etc  : from  Homer,  Iliad  i.  249, 
rod  Kai  curb  yXcoo'crr]^  U^Xltos  yXvKLuv  pee v avdr). 

27.  quam  ad  suavitatem  : for  which  eloquence. 

28.  et  tamen : i.e.  in  spite  of  his  lack  of  bodily  strength. 

29.  dux  ille  Graeciae  : the  reference  is  to  Agamemnon ; ille 
when  following  a substantive  regularly  means,  as  here,  that  famous, 
that  well-known. 

nusquam : i.e.  nowhere  in  Homer. 

ut  . . . habeat : the  clause  is  the  object  of  optat. 

Aiacis  similes  : in  Cicero  similis , when  governing  words  desig- 
nating persons,  is  regularly  followed  by  the  genitive. 

30.  sed  ut  Nestoris  : elliptical  for  sed  ut  decern  Nestoris  similes 
habeat.  Agamemnon’s  longing  for  ten  warriors  like  Nestor  is 
found  in  Iliad  ii.  371. 

quod  si  sibi  accident : if  this  fortune  should  be  his  ; accident 
is  in  the  subjunctive  by  attraction  to  sit  peritura. 


NOTES 


71 


14.  1.  vellem  equidem  idem  possem  gloriari : would  that  I 
could  make  the  same  boast ; vellem  is  in  the  subjunctive  as  express- 
ing the  apodosis  of  a contrary-to-fact  conditional  sentence,  the 
protasis  of  which  is  omitted,  — I ivould  wish  (were  it  possible)  ; 
possem  is  logically  the  object  of  vellem , being  developed  from  an 
original  optative  subjunctive,  — would  I were  able  ; ut  is,  accord- 
ingly, regularly  absent  in  this  idiom.  B.  296,  1,  a. 

idem  : A.  & G.  238  b ; B.  176,  2,  a ; G.  333,  1 ; H.  371,  I,  2 ; II. 

sed  tamen  hoc  queo  dicere,  etc . : the  thought  is  inaccurately 
expressed  ; what  Cato  means  is  : 4 Though  I am  not  as  strong  as  I 
once  was,  yet  I can  say  that  old  age  has  not  entirely  shattered  me.’ 
Instead  of  this,  the  clause  me  . . . esse  is  made  principal  instead 
of  subordinate,  while  afflixit  and  desiderat  are  put  in  the  indicative 
instead  of  in  the  infinitive.  Logically  the  thought  demanded  : hoc 
queo  dicere , cum  eis  viribus  non  sim  quibus  fuerim , tamen  me  non 
afflixisse  senectutem,  non  curiam  desiderare.  Note  that  queo  unac- 
companied by  a negative  is  rare. 

2.  eis  viribus : Ablative  of  Quality. 

3.  miles  bello  Punico  : in  217  b.c. 

quaestor  eodem  bello  : in  204  b.c. 

4.  consul  in  Hispania : in  195  b.c.  In  honor  of  Cato’s  suc- 
cesses here,  the  Senate  decreed  a three  days’  thanksgiving.  Cato 
declared  that  he  had  captured  more  cities  in  Spain  than  he  had 
spent  days  in  the  province. 

5.  tribunus  militaris : this  was  in  191  b.c.,  in  the  war  against 
Antiochus. 

cum  depugnavi  : cum  with  the  indicative  to  denote  the  point  of 
time  at  which  ; depugno  is  4 to  fight  it  out,’  4 fight  to  the  end.’ 

7.  non,  non,  etc.  : observe  the  emphasis  produced  by  the  repe- 
tition of  the  non. 

9.  clientes  : including  not  only  his  political  followers  at  Rome, 
but  also  those  foreign  nations  or  cities  whose  protector  he  was. 
Cicero  (Brutus  20,  80)  tells  us  that  Cato  in  the  last  year  of  his  life 
publicly  spoke  in  defence  of  his  clients,  the  Lusitanians,  who  had 
been  the  victims  of  the  treachery  of  Servius  Galba. 

hospites  : guest-friends ; strangers  at  Rome  who  had  relations 
of  hospitality  with  Cato. 

Nec  enim  : nor  indeed. 


72 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


11.  mature  fieri  senem,  etc.:  the  saying  obviously  means: 
‘ Begin  early  to  exercise  the  discretion  of  age,  if  you  would  live  to 
a good  old  age.’  Cato’s  criticism  of  the  proverb  is  based  upon  a 
misinterpretation  of  its  real  significance.  He  takes  it  as  though  it 
were  intended  to  mean  : ‘ Begin  early  to  cultivate  the  inactivity  of 
age,  if  you  would  remain  an  old  man  long.’  The  infinitive  with 
moneo  is  less  common  than  a subjunctive  clause,  but  is  admis- 
sible when  moneo  lacks  a personal  object. 

12.  me  senem  esse  mallem:  volo , nolo,  malo  more  com- 
monly take  the  infinitive  without  subject  accusative  to  denote 
another  action  of  the  same  subject ; mallem  here  represents  the 
apodosis  of  a contrary-to-fact  conditional  sentence,  the  protasis  of 
which  is  omitted,  — I should  prefer  {were  I bold  enough  to  express 
a preference) . Cf.  the  use  of  vellem,  above,  1.  1. 

13.  ante  quam  essem  : subjunctive  by  attraction. 

convenire  me  : = to  have  an  interview  with  me. 

14.  cui  fuerim  occupatus : lit.  to  whom  I have  been  engaged , 
i.e.  whom  I have  refused  to  see.  The  subjunctive  is  one  of  Char- 
acteristic. 

At  minus  habeo : at,  as  above,  p.  9,  1.  24,  introduces  the  view 
of  an  opponent,  — but , you  may  urge , etc. 

15.  T.  Ponti  centurionis  : the  centurions  were  usually  men  of 
great  strength  and  stature.  Nothing  further  is  known  of  the 
Pontius  here  referred  to. 

17.  praestantior : a better  man. 

Moderatio  modo  virium  adsit : let  there  only  be  a control 
over  one's  strength.  The  subjunctive  is  Jussive,  with  the  acces- 
sory force  of  a Proviso. 

18.  ne  ille : such  a man , 1 assure  you;  this  is  the  asseverative 
ne.  In  its  use  it  is  restricted  to  combination  with  pronouns,  — 
personal,  demonstrative,  and  possessive.  It  regularly  precedes  the 
word  which  it  emphasizes. 

non  desiderio  tenebitur : will  not  be  possessed  with  longing 
for , i.e.  will  not  feel  the  lack  of.  Cf.  desidero,  above,  p.  12,  1.  8. 

19.  Olympiae  per  stadium,  etc.  : according  to  the  story  Milo 
had  carried  the  animal  daily  as  it  grew.  Quintilian,  I,  9.  5. 

20.  cum  sustineret  bovem  : carrying  an  ox;  another  circum- 
stantial cim-clause  ; see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  13. 


NOTES 


73 


21.  igitur  : merely  transitional,  as  p.  7,  1.  29. 

has  corporis  : sc.  vires. 

Pythagorae  : Pythagoras  was  a townsman  of  Milo,  a fact  which 
lends  additional  force  to  the  comparison. 

22.  utare  : the  command  is  general ; hence  the  indefinite  second 
singular.  A.  & G.  266,  a ; B.  356,  3 ; G.  263,  2,  a ; H.  484,  IV,  n.  2. 

23.  dum  adsit,  cum  absit : the  subjunctive  is  the  result  of 
attraction.  Notice  the  chiastic  arrangement  in  : 

utare , dum  adsit : cum  absit , ne  requiras. 

ne  requiras  : this  form  of  prohibition  is  unusual  in  prose  ; noli 
with  the  infinitive  is  far  commoner.  The  subject  of  requiras  is 
general,  just  as  was  the  case  with  utare. 

nisi  forte : see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  26. 

24.  pueritiam,  adulescentiam  : boyhood , young  manhood. 

paululum  aetate  progressi : referring  to  those  in  middle  life. 

25.  Cursus  est  certus  aetatis  : there  is  a regular  course  of  life. 

26.  suaque  . . . ternpestivitas : and  to  each  part  of  life  its 
proper  character  (lit.  seasonableness)  is  allotted. 

27.  infirmitas  puerprum  : the  helplessness  of  children. 

28.  ferocitas : impetuosity. 

gravitas : steadiness. 

iam  constantis  : already  settled , i.e.  middle  (life). 

29.  naturale  quiddam  : a certain  natural  ( product ),  as  shown 
by  percipi , ‘ to  be  reaped.’ 

30.  quod  debeat : Subjunctive  of  Characteristic. 

31.  hospes  tuus  avitus  : the  guest-friend  of  your  grandfather , 
i.e.  of  the  elder  Africanus,  between  whom  and  Masinissa  there 
existed  a strong  friendship. 

32.  Masinissa  : king  of  the  Numidians.  In  the  Second  Punic 
W ar  he  was  at  the  outset  an  ally  of  the  Carthaginians,  but  later 
became  a supporter  of  the  Romans. 

hodie  : i.e.  still. 

15.  1.  pedibus : on  foot. 

omnino  non  ascendere  : does  not  mount  at  all. 

3.  imbri : imber  is  not  properly  an  /-stein,  but  has  taken  on  the 
/-stem  inflection  in  the  ablative  singular. 

capite  operto  : Ablative  of  Quality. 


74 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


4.  siccitatem  : soundness ; siccitas , lit.  ‘dryness,’  is  opposed 
to  that  physical  state  in  which  the  body  is  affected  with  unwhole- 
some humors. 

5.  officia  et  munera  : functions  and  duties  ; a favorite  phrase 
with  Cicero.  The  two  words  are  here  closely  synonymous,  and 
illustrate  Cicero’s  fondness  for  grouping  synonyms  in  pairs. 

Potest,  etc.  : as  the  position  indicates,  potest  is  specially 
emphatic,  — it  is  possible,  therefore , for  exercise  and  self-control  to 
preserve , etc. 

8.  Ne  sint,  etc.  : granting  that  there  is  not  strength  in  old  age , 
lit.  let  there  not  be  strength. 

9.  a senectute  : of  old  age. 

10.  muneribus  eis  quae,  etc.  : military  service  is  meant. 

11.  non  modo  : here  used  for  non  modo  non.  This  occurs 
regularly  when  the  idea  modified  by  non  modo  ( non ) is  reserved 
for  a second  member  introduced  by  ne  . . . quidem. 

quod  non  possumus : as  antecedent  of  quod , understand  id, 
Accusative  of  Result  with  cogimur.  A.  & G.  238,  b ; B.  176,  2,  b ; 
G.  333,  1 ; H.  371,  II. 

13.  At  multi  : at  is  here  again  used  to  introduce  the  view  of 
an  imaginary  opponent ; but  below  in  at  id  quidem,  at  introduces 
Cato’s  own  reply. 

14.  nullum  offici  aut  omnino  vitae  munus  exsequi : no 

function  of  duty  nor  any  function  of  life  at  all.  Under  offici 
munera  would  fall  obligations  to  the  state,  to  one’s  family,  or 
friends  ; under  vitae  munera,  the  ordinary  care  of  one’s  person 
and  attention  to  one’s  personal  wants. 

16.  valetudinis  : primarily  health,  but  unless  accompanied  by 
some  such  word  as  bona,  it  ordinarily  means  poor  health;  so  here. 

P.  Africani  filius  : son  of  the  elder  Africanus  ; his  feeble  health 
prevented  his  entering  public  life. 

18.  Quod  ni  ita  fuisset : unless  this  had  been  so  ; on  ni  for  nisi, 
see  note  on  p.  29,  1.  10. 

alterum  lumen  : the  second  light ; the  elder  Africanus  was  the 
first. 

illud  : he  ( i.e . Africani  filius) , attracted  from  ille  by  the  neuter 
predicate  noun,  lumen. 

exstitisset : lit.  would  have  stood  forth. 


NOTES 


75 


19.  paternam : his  father'1  s. 

21.  in  senibus  : in  case  of  old  men . 

22.  Resistendum  : emphatic,  as  shown  by  the  position,  — the 
thing  to  do,  Laelius  and  Scipio,  is  to  resist  old  age. 

24.  pugnandum  : sc.  est. 

tamquam,  sic  : just  as , so. 

26.  utendum  : one  must  use. 

tantum  cibi : (only)  so  much  food. 

27.  ut  reficiantur  vires,  non  opprimantur  : Subjunctive  of 
Result. 

28.  subveniendum  est : we  must  come  to  the  relief  of. 

29.  menti  atque  animo  : when  used  with  precision  mens  refers 
to  the  intellect,  animus  to  the  feelings  and  will ; together  the  two 
words  embrace  all  the  mental  and  moral  faculties. 

haec  quoque  : i.e.  mens  and  animus. 

30.  nisi  tamquam,  etc.  : tamquam  (‘apologetic’  ; see  note  on 
p.  3,  1.  19)  modifies  the  entire  phrase  lumini  oleum  instilles , — 
‘unless,  so  to  speak,  one  keeps  pouring  oil  into  the  lamp,’  i.e.  the 
oil  of  study  and  reflection  into  the  lamp  of  the  mind  ; on  instilles , 
cf.  p.  14,  1.  22,  with  note. 

31.  corpora  quidem  : quidem  serves  merely  to  emphasize  cor- 
pora, and  so  to  heighten  the  antithesis  between  corpora  ingrave - 
scunt  and  animi  levantur. 

32.  exercendo  : by  exercising  them.  Ordinarily  the  subject  of  the 
gerund  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  verb  with  which  the  gerund  is  gram- 
matically connected.  Not  so  here  ; the  subject  of  levantur  is  animi; 
while  the  subject  of  exercendo  is  general,  ‘ by  a man’s  using  them.’ 

16.  1.  quos  ait,  etc.  : (those)  whom  Caecilius  characterizes 
as  the  foolish  old  men  of  the  comic  stage;  ait  here  takes  the 
construction  (unusual  for  this  verb)  of  two  accusatives,  direct 
object  and  predicate  accusative. 

comicos,  stultos  senes : the  quotation  is  from  Caecilius’s 
Epiclerus  (‘The  Heiress’). 

hos  significat,  etc.  : by  these  he  means , etc.  ; lit.  he  means 
these  (as  being)  credulous , etc.  ; here  again  we  have  two  accusa- 
tives, direct  object  and  predicate  accusative,  a construction  not 
elsewhere  found  with  significo  ; but  cf.  Cic.  de  Finibus,  II,  14,  45, 
Honestum  igitur  id  intellegimus. 


76 


CATO  MAJOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


2.  credulos : the  credulous  father  is  a stock  figure  of  Latin 
comedy. 

dissolutos  : shattered,  broken  down. 

quae  vitia  : faults  vdiich  ; cf.  quem  magistratum , p.  5,  1.  17. 

3.  inertis,  ignavae:  iners  implies  merely  a lack  of  activity, 
ignavus  refers  rather  to  the  disinclination  to  be  active. 

4.  petulantia,  libido  : ivantonness,  lust. 

6.  sed  non  proborum  : but  ( merely ) of  those  who  are  not 
upright;  non  proborum  is  less  abrupt  than  improborum  would 
have  been. 

seniles  : = senum, — the  adjective  for  the  genitive  of  the  sub- 
stantive, as  often  in  Latin. 

7.  deliratio : dotage. 

9.  tantam,  tantas : i.e.  so  great,  as  is  well  known,  hence 
nearly  equivalent  to  magnam , permagnam. 

Appius  : Appius  Claudius  Caecus  ; see  p.  8,  1.  3. 

10.  intentum : stretched. 

11.  languescens  : the  participle  has  the  force  of  an  adverb, — 
feebly. 

12.  auctoritatem  : referring  possibly  to  the  patria  potestas, 
which  gave  the  father  absolute  control  over  his  children. 

imperium  : stronger  than  auctoritas ; technically  imperium 
designated  the  absolute  power  with  which  the  higher  Roman 
magistrates  (consul  and  praetor ) were  formally  invested  by  the 
Comitia  Curiata.  The  word  is  here  figuratively  applied  to  a pri- 
vate individual. 

13.  verebantur  : reverenced. 

14.  patrius  : inherited  from  the  fathers,  i.e.  4 the  good  old.’ 

mos  : in  English  we  should  employ  the  plural. 

15.  Ita  enim:  for  on  this  condition ; ita  is  explained  by  the 
following  si-clauses. 

honesta  : honorable,  held  in  honor. 

16.  emancipata  est:  is  in  bondage,  lit.  is  sold;  emancipare 
primarily  meant  ‘to  transfer,’  and  was  used  not  only  of  property 
and  slaves,  but  also  of  freemen.  Later  it  came  to  be  used  of  the 
formal  act  of  sale  by  which  slaves  were  liberated,  and  so  acquired 
the  meaning  set  free,  — the  exact  opposite  of  the  meaning  in  our 
passage. 


NOTES 


77 


18.  senile  aliquid  : a touch  of  the  old  man. 

20.  quod  qui  sequitur  : he  who  makes  this  his  object. 

21.  septimus  liber  Originum  : Cato’s  Origines  was  an  histori- 
cal work.  The  second  and  third  books  treated  of  the  origin  and 
settlement  of  the  Italian  towns,  whence  the  title  of  the  work. 
Of  the  remaining  books,  the  first  dealt  with  the  regal  period,  the 
fourth  and  fifth  with  the  Eirst  and  Second  Punic  wars  ; the  sixth 
and  seventh  brought  the  history  down  to  Cato’s  own  day. 

est  in  manibus : i.e.  is  under  way ; cf.  habebat  in  manibus , 
p.  10,  1.  15. 

23.  nunc  cum  maxime : now  especially , just  now.  This  ex- 
pression, which  is  fairly  frequent,  results  from  an  ellipsis  ; thus 
here  the  full  thought  would  have  been  expressed  by  nunc  conficio 
cum  maxime  conficio , 4 1 am  now  preparing,  at  a time  when  I am 
especially  preparing,’  i.e.  4 1 am  preparing  now  especially.’  Some- 
times cum  maxime  alone  stands  in  the  same  sense. 

24.  conficio  : i.e.  prepare  for  publication.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  of  Cato’s  speeches  were  known  to  Cicero,  as  he  himself  else- 
where tells  us,  Brutus,  17,  65. 

ius  augurium,  pontificium,  civile  : ius  augurium  was  the  code 
of  the  augurs  ; the  ius  pontificium  emanated  from  the  pontifices , 
who  had  the  oversight  and  direction  of  the  religious  observances 
of  the  state  ; ius  civile  seems  here  to  be  contrasted  with  ius 
augurium  and  ius  pontificium , i.e.  the  secular  jurisprudence  is 
opposed  to  the  religious. 

25.  multum  utor  : make  much  use.  On  this  adverbial  use  of 
multum , originally  an  Accusative  of  Result,  see  A.  & G.  238,  a ; 
B.  176,  3. 

Pythagoreorum  more:  in  the  so-called  4 Golden  Verses’ 
(xpucra  eV^),  formerly  attributed  to  Pythagoras,  occur  the  lines: 

/ jl7)5 * vtt vov  yaXaKoiaiv  eir'  6yyaai.  7 rpoade^aadai 
7r plv  tCov  TjyepivCov  epycov  rpls  Zkolcttov  ctt eXOeiu  • 

71-77  7rcLp£(3r)v ; tL  5 5 epe£a ; tl  yoi  5£o v ovk  ereXtadT) ; 
ap^ayevos  5 * ai ro  irpibrov  Kal  yer^TreLTa 

SeiXa  ykv  €KTpr)%as  iTTLirXrjjcreo  XPV°'T & repirov. 

26.  exercendae  memoriae  gratia  : to  be  taken  only  with  com- 
memoro , not  with  Pythagoreorum  more. 


78 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


28.  Haec  : unusual  form  for  /me,  but  found  occasionally  else- 
where in  Cicero. 

exercitationes  ingeni : intellectual  pursuits  are  contrasted  with 
athletic  training. 

haec  curricula  mentis:  as  contrasted  with  the  wrestling-  or 
boxing-ground. 

29.  desudans  : de - is  intensive,  as  in  depugnavi , p.  14,  1.  5. 

30.  desidero  : as  p.  12,  1.  8. 

Adsum  amicis  : I assist  my  friends ; adesse  is  used  especially 
in  the  sense  of  rendering  legal  assistance. 

31.  ultroque  : of  my  own  motion . The  Roman  senators  in 
debate  were  not  held  closely  to  the  question  before  the  house. 
Cato,  therefore,  simply  means  that  when  he  addressed  the  senate 
he  exercised  his  parliamentary  privilege,  and  brought  up  such 
matters  as  he  saw  fit. 

32.  easque  tueor : I maintain  them , defend  them,  i.e.  in  debate. 

17,  1.  Quas  exsequi  nequirem : see  note  on  p.  12,  1.  29, 

quam  si  exsequi  nequeas. 

lectulus  : a sort  of  reading-couch  or  sofa. 

2.  ea  ipsa  cogitantem  : planning  those  very  things. 

quae  iam  agere  non  possem : even  though  I could  not  carry 
them  into  execution ; quae  possem  is  a relative  clause  denoting  a 
condition  contrary  to  fact. 

3.  ut  possim  : emphatic  by  position,  — that  I can  do  so,  is  the 
result  of  my  past  life. 

4.  viventi : agreeing  with  ex  understood,  which  is  Dative  of 
Agent  with  intellegitur,  — for  by  a man  living  constantly  in  these 
pursuits  and  labor,  it  is  not  noticed , etc. 

5.  Ita  sensim,  etc. : so  gradually  does  life  wane ; this  is  the 
‘retrospective’  ita;  i.e.  the  particle  looks  back  to  the  preceding 
sentence,  of  which  it  furnishes  a justification  ; observe  the  alliter- 
ation in  sensim  sine  sensu  senescit. 

CHAPTERS  XII. -XVIII. 

The  third  charge : Old  age  is  devoid  of  pleasures.  So  much 
the  better.  Pleasure  really  a bane,  and  the  source  of  all  evil. 
Condemnatioxi  of  Epicurus'1  s theory  that  voluptas  is  the  summum 


NOTES 


79 


bonum.  This  ideal  un-Boman.  Old  men  not  excluded  from 
moderate  physical  enjoyment.  Possibilities  of  intellectual  pleas- 
ures, — literature,  law , etc . The  delights  of  farming  surpass  all 
others.  Cato's  own  enthusiasm  for  the  life  of  the  farm.  Xeno- 
phon's endorsement.  The  satisfaction  of  wielding  personal  influ- 
ence. The  respect  accorded  old  men  of  character. 

9.  quod  . . . dicunt,  etc.  : the  fact  that  they  say  it  is  devoid 
of  pleasures ; explanatory  of  tertia  vituperatio. 

voluptatibus  : i.e.  bodily  pleasures. 

10.  aetatis  : here,  old  age. 

11.  accipite  enim  . . . veterem  orationem : for  listen  to  the 
words  uttered  long  ago. 

12.  Archytae:  Archytas,  of  Tarentum,  a famous  Pythagorean 
philosopher  who  flourished  about  400  b.c.  He  was  eminent  also 
as  a mathematician,  statesman,  and  general. 

14.  adulescens : as  a young  man;  in  apposition  with  the  sub' 
ject  of  essem. 

Tarenti  cum  Q.  Maximo : see  p.  5,  1.  16. 

16.  a natura : nature  is  here  personified ; hence  the  employ- 
ment of  the  preposition. 

cuius  voluptatis  avida©  : through  eagerness  for  which,  lit. 
eager  for  which  pleasure ; but  the  repetition  of  the  antecedent  in 
the  relative  clause  cannot  be  reproduced  in  English. 

17.  temere : blindly;  temere  was  originally  the  locative  of  a 
lost  nominative  temus,  meaning  4 darkness  ’ ; hence  4 in  the  dark,’ 
‘blindly,’  later  ‘rashly,’  4 heedlessly.’ 

ad  potiendum  ; for  attaining  it;  i.e.  pleasure. 

20.  malum  facinus : evil  deed ; f acinus  here  has  its  original 
force  of  ‘act,’  ‘deed,’  which  is  regular  in  early  Latin.  Cicero 
usually  employs  it  in  the  sense  of  4 crime.’ 

22.  impelleret : sc.  homines. 

23.  flagitium : the  root  flag-,  appearing  also  in  flagro,  flamma, 
means  4 to  burn  ’ ; hence  flagitium  was  primarily  4 a burning 
shame.’ 

nisi : than , except. 

24.  cumque  : and  while, 

homini : i.e.  mankind. 


80 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


sive  natura  sive  quis  deus  : be  it  nature  or  some  god ; Cato 
does  not  attempt  to  determine  which  it  was. 

25.  muneri  ac  dono  : boon  and  gift . The  two  words  are  here 
closely  synonymous.  When  used  with  precision,  donum  is  the 
general  term,  munus  is  more  specific,  being  restricted  to  gracious 
gifts,  or  gifts  bestowed  for  a special  purpose. 

27.  libidine  dominante : the  ablative  absolute  here  denotes 
both  time  and  circumstance,  — ‘ while  lust  is  master  ’ or  1 under 
the  rule  of  lust.’ 

temperantiae  : Dative  of  Possession,  — self-control  has  no  place. 

neque  omnino,  etc.  *.  nor  can  virtue  gain  a footing  at  all  in 
the  realm  of  pleasure. 

29.  fingere  animo  : to  imagine , conceive  of;  animo  is  ablative. 

30.  tanta,  quanta,  etc.  ; just  as  much  pleasure  as  could  pos- 
sibly be  enjoyed ; observe  the  emphasis  secured  by  the  position  of 
maxima  at  the  end  of  its  clause. 

32.  tam  diu  dum : so  long  as  ; an  unusual  form  of  expression 
for  tam  diu  quam  diu , or  quam  diu  alone  ; yet  tam  diu  dum  occurs 
in  Cat.  Ill,  16. 

ita  gauderet : took  enjoyment  in  this  way,  i.e.  in  unrestrained 
self-indulgence. 

agitare : pursue. 

18.  1.  ratione  : to  be  joined  with  consequi. 

3.  siquidem : here  in  the  secondary  meaning  of  since ; it  is 
used  differently  above,  p.  17,  1.  10. 

maior  atque  longinquior  : more  intense  and  longer  continued. 

5.  C.  Pontio : his  full  name  was  Gaius  Pontius  Herennius. 
His  son,  Gaius  Pontius  Telesinus,  defeated  the  Romans  at  the 
battle  of  the  Caudine  Porks. 

Caudino  proelio : this  disastrous  defeat  of  the  Roman  arms 
occurred  in  the  Second  Samnite  War,  321  b.c.  The  Roman  army 
was  forced  to  go  1 under  the  yoke.’ 

7.  locutum  Archytam : supply  esse ; the  infinitive  depends 
upon  accepisse. 

Nearchus:  a philosopher  of  the  Pythagorean  school. 

hospes  noster : noster  for  meus , as  frequently. 

8.  qui  . . . permanserat : who  had  remained  loyal  to  the 
Homan  people.  Many  of  the  Tarentines,  through  jealousy  of 


NOTES 


81 


Rome,  had  sympathized  with  the  Carthaginians  and  had  handed 
the  city  over  to  Hannibal  in  212  b.c. 

9.  cum  . . . interfuisset : Plato  the  Athenian  having  been 
present  at  that  conversation ; here  again  cum  is  entirely  devoid  of 
temporal  force,  and  the  clause  is  purely  circumstantial ; see  note 
on  p.  8,  1.  13.  The  cijm-clause  is  to  be  taken,  of  course,  only  with 
locutum  (esse). 

11.  L.  Camillo,  Ap.  Claudio  consulibus  : this  was  in  the 

year  349  b.c.  Plato’s  last  visit  to  Italy  is  said  to  have  occurred 
in  361  b.c.  Cicero,  therefore,  is  probably  in  error  here. 

12.  Quorsus  hoc  : supply  dixi  or  some  such  word. 

ut  intellegeretis : the  imperfect  is  used  because  the  ut- clause 
is  felt  as  depending  upon  dixi  or  some  other  verb  of  saying  to  be 
supplied,  — I said  this  in  order  that  ijou  might  understand.  Hence 
also  the  other  subordinate  subjunctives  in  this  passage  are  in  the 
imperfect.  In  English  we  should  use  the  present. 

13.  magnam  . . . gratiam : great  gratitude  ought  to  be  enter- 
tained toward  old  age. 

14.  quae  efficeret,  etc.  : the  relative  clause  has  causal  force, 
— lit.  since  it  brings  it  about  that  that  is  not  pleasant , which  ought 
not  (to  be). 

15.  liberet:  from  libet. 

16.  ut  ita  dicam:  so  to  speak;  the  phrase  is  introduced  as  an 
apology  for  the  unusual  metaphor  mentis  oculos. 

18.  invitus  feci  ut  eicerem : a periphrasis  for  invitus  eieci. 
Special  emphasis  rests  upon  invitus , — it  was  unwillingly  that  1 
removed. 

T.  Flaminini : already  mentioned  p.  1,1.  1. 

19.  L.  Flamininum : he  had  served  under  his  brother  in  the 
Macedonian  War. 

e senatu  eicerem  : this  was  in  184  b.c.  The  censors  possessed 
the  right  of  degrading  any  citizen  whose  conduct  in  their  opinion 
merited  punishment. 

20.  post  quam  consul  fuisset:  the  subjunctive  here  is  due 
entirely  to  attraction,  the  clause  being  felt  as  an  integral  part  of 
the  thought  begun  in  ut  eicerem.  Elamininus  had  been  consul  in 
192  b.c.  Hence  the  interval  was  really  eight  years,  not  seven,  as 
stated  by  Cicero. 


82 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


notandam : notare  was  the  technical  term  for  designating  the 
official  action  of  the  censors  in  rebuking  the  conduct  of  a citizen, 
just  as  nota  was  used  of  the  ‘ mark’  or  ‘brand  ’ put  upon  him. 

21.  libidinem  : wantonness. 

cum  esset  consul  in  Gallia : when  he  was  in  Gaul  in  his 
consulship.  Gallia  in  Cato’s  time  applied  only  to  cis-Alpine  Gaul, 
i.e.  northern  Italy. 

22.  a scorto  : according  to  the  account  given  by  Livy  XXXIX, 
42,  the  scortum  referred  to  was  not  a woman,  but  a young  lad  with 
whom  Flamininus  sustained  immoral  relations.  Livy  further  adds 
that  the  man  executed  was  a noble  Boian  who  had  fled  to  Flami- 
ninus for  protection. 

securi  feriret : behead,  lit.  strike  with  the  axe.  Livy  says 
Flamininus  stabbed  the  Boian  with  his  own  hand. 

24.  Tito  censore  : in  189  n.c.  The  censors  were  chosen  every 
five  years,  but  held  office  for  eighteen  months  only. 

25.  elapsus  est : i.e.  escaped  punishment. 

mihi  et  Flacco  : Cato  and  Flaccus  were  censors  in  184  b.c. 
In  195  they  had  been  colleagues  in  the  consulship. 

27.  quae  coniungeret : Clause  of  Characteristic  with  accessory 
notion  of  cause,  since  it  joined. 

imperi  dedecus : disgrace  to  the  imperium , with  which  the 
consul  had  been  formally  invested.  See  note  on  p.  16,  1.  12. 

30.  porro : in  turn , lit.  further  on.  More  commonly  porro 
looks  forward  to  the  future. 

mirari : i.e.  express  his  wonder.  **• 

31.  Fabricium  : see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  1. 

apud  Fyrrhum : i.e.  at  Pyrrhus’s  headquarters.  In  281  b.c. 
Pyrrhus  had  crossed  over  from  Epirus  to  Italy  to  assist  the  Taren- 
tines  in  war  against  the  Romans. 

32.  Cinea : Cineas , a valued  adviser  of  Pyrrhus.  He  had  been 
a pupil  of  Demosthenes,  and  was  distinguished  as  an  orator. 

quendam : the  reference  is  to  Epicurus,  founder  of  the  philo- 
sophical school  that  bears  his  name.  Epicurus  was  born  at  Samos 
342  b.c.,  and  taught  at  Athens  from  306  till  his  death  in  270  b.c. 
He  did  not,  however,  as  here  intimated,  make  sensual  pleasure 
the  chief  end  of  life.  It  was  happiness  in  the  sense  of  the  high- 
est bodily,  mental,  and  spiritual  tranquillity  (arapa^a)  that  he 


NOTES 


83 


declared  to  be  the  summum  bonum.  Yet  his  doctrines  easily  came 
to  be  misunderstood  and  perverted,  so  that  ultimately  Epicurean- 
ism became  synonymous  with  physical  self-indulgence. 

19.  1.  se  sapientem  profiteretur  : set  up  for  a philosopher. 

2.  ad  voluptatem  : i.e.  to  pleasure  as  a standard  or  ideal. 

3.  Curium,  Coruncanium  : see  p.  8,  1.  1. 

optare  : i.e.  to  express  the  wish. 

4.  ut  id  Samnitibus  . . . persuaderetur  : that  the  Samnites 
and  Pyrrhus  himself  might  be  convinced  of  this  ; id  is  the  Accusa- 
tive of  Result  retained  in  the  passive. 

6.  Vixerat : i.e.  had  been  intimate. 

P.  Decio  : his  full  name  was  Publius  Decius  Mus. 

7.  eum  : i.e.  Curius. 

8.  se  devoverat : this  was  in  295  b.c.  at  the  Battle  of  Sentinum, 
in  which  the  Romans  defeated  the  combined  forces  of  the  Gauls 
and  Samnites.  Decius’ s grandfather,  P.  Decius  Mus,  had  previ- 
ously offered  his  life  in  the  same  way  at  the  Battle  of  Yeseris, 
340  b.c.  The  act  of  devotio  was  a formal  one,  and  was  accom- 
panied by  a regular  ceremonial.  The  citizen  who  thus  4 devoted 
himself  ’ put  on  the  cinctus  Gabinus , and  mounting  a charger  rode 
to  death  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy.  The  sacrifice  was  believed  to 
propitiate  the  gods  of  the  lower  world,  and  thus  to  ensure  victory. 

9.  cum  . . . turn : not  only  . . . but  also. 

ex  eius,  quern  dico,  Deci  facto : from  the  act  of  him  whom  1 
mention , viz.,  Decius. 

10.  natura  pulchrum  atque  praeclarum : naturally  noble  and 
glorious. 

11.  quod  sua  sponte  peter etur,  etc. : to  be  sought  for  its  ov:n 
sake , and  for  all  the  best  men  to  pursue , scorning  and  despisuig 
pleasure ; ^ the  subjunctives  are  not  merely  subordinate  clauses  in 
indirect  discourse,  but  are  relative  clauses  of  purpose  as  well,  and 
would  be  in  the  subjunctive  even  in  direct  statement. 

13.  Quorsus : elliptical,  as  p.  6,  1.  21. 

14.  vituperatio  nulla:  i.e.  constitutes  no  ground  of  blame. 

16.  Caret  . . . caret : in  the  first  caret  the  idea  of  deprivation 
is  prominent,  in  the  second  the  idea  of  avoiding. 

17.  frequentibus  poculis : round  after  round  of  cups. 

18.  si  aliquid  dandum  est : if  some  concession  must  be  made. 


84 


CATO  MAIOR  J)E  SENECTUTE 


20.  divine  : hardly  stronger  than  the  English  finely  or  admirably. 

escam  malorum  : the  bait  of  sin  ; malorum  is  Possessive  Geni- 
tive. Cf.  Plato,  Timaeus,  69  D,  rjdovrj^  ytyurrov  kclkov  dtXea p. 

21.  quod  videlicet : evidently  because. 

24.  C.  Duellium : he  had  defeated  the  Carthaginian  fleet  off 
Mylae,  a town  on  the  north  coast  of  Sicily,  in  260  b.c. 

25.  senem  : Duellius  was  probably  seventy-five  years  old  when 
Cato  was  a lad  of  ten. 

26.  delectabatur  : Cato  began  by  citing  Duellius  as  an  illustra- 
tion of  his  assertion  that  old  men  can  enjoy  moderate  banquets, 
but  having  once  mentioned  Duellius  he  goes  on  after  the  rambling 
fashion  of  an  old  man  to  relate  other  circumstances  which  have 
no  connection  whatever  with  the  point  at  issue.  Cf.  the  similar 
digressions,  p.  5,  1.  13;  p.  11,  1.  9 ; p.  24,  1.  23. 

nullo  exemplo : without  precedent,  lit.  in  accordance  with  no 
example. 

27.  privatus  : as  a private  citizen. 

28.  alios  : supply  commemorem , or  some  such  word. 

iam : straightway . 

29.  Primum : in  the  first  place ; primum  leads  us  to  expect 
deinde  later  on,  instead  of  which  the  second  point  is  introduced  by 
ego  quoque , p.  20,  1.  10. 

sodales : this  corresponds  approximately  to  our  ‘ club-friends  ’ ; 
a sodalis  was  a member  of  a sodalitas , a club  organized  sometimes 
for  social  purposes  only,  at  other  times,  as  here,  for  the  mainten- 
ance of  a special  ritual.  In  either  case  banqueting  seems  to  have 
been  a recognized  feature  of  the  organization. 

30.  Magnae  Matris  : i.e.  in  honor  of  the  Great  Mother  of  the 
gods,  Cybele.  Her  Greek  designation  of  yeyc i\rj  ynryjp  suggested 
the  name  of  the  Megalesian  Games  ( Ludi  Megalenses'). 

me  quaestore  : 204  b.c. 

31.  sacris  Idaeis  acceptis  : the  ablative  absolute  here  denotes 
time,  — at  the  time  the  Idaean  worship  was  introduced.  The  wor- 
ship of  Cybele  is  called  Idaean  because  one  of  her  chief  sanctuaries 
was  situated  on  Mount  Ida  in  the  Troad.  The  cult  of  Cybele  was 
introduced  in  accordance  with  the  directions  of  an  oracle,  which 
had  bidden  the  Romans  to  bring  to  the  city  a meteoric  stone  wor- 
shipped as  the  image  of  Cybele  at  Pessmus  in  Galatia. 

Epulabar  igitur  : igitur  is  merely  transitional,  as  p.  7,  1.  29, 


NOTES 


85 


32.  omnino  modice  : moderately  withal. 

aetatis:  here,  of  youth. 

20.  1.  qua  progrediente  : and  as  life  advances;  qua , though 
referring  to  aetatis , does  not  refer  to  it  in  the  sense  Qf  youth , — the 
meaning  which  aetatis  has  in  connection  with  fervor , — but  in  the 
general  sense  of  life. 

omnia  fiunt  mitiora  : i.e.  all  pleasures  grow  less  keen,  lose 
their  edge. 

3.  ooetu  amicorum  et  sermonibus  : the  logical  contrast  is 
not  so  much  between  voluptatibus  and  coetu  et  sermonibus , as 
between  corporis  and  coetu  et  sermonibus.  Cato  means  to  say  that 
he  gauged  his  enjoyments  not  so  much  by  pleasures  of  the  body  as 
by  those  derived  from  meeting  his  friends  and  talking  with  them. 

4.  Bene  enim,  etc. : for  our  fathers  did  well  in  calling  the 
reclining  of  friends  at  table  a 1 convivium ,’  because  it  involved  a 
living  together. 

7.  turn  compotationem,  turn  concenationem : now  a drink - 
ing  together , now  an  eating  together;  the  Greek  designations 
referred  to  are  avyirocrLov  and  a-vvdeLvvov. 

8.  quod  in  eo  genere  minimum  est : what  is  of  least  conse- 
quence in  that  sort  ( of  thing),  i.e.  the  mere  satisfaction  of  the 
appetite  as  opposed  to  the  delights  of  social  intercourse. 

11.  tempestivis  conviviis  : protracted  banquets ; a convivium 
tempestivum  was  one  that  began  early,  before  the  usual  time  (2  or 
3 p.m.),  and  so  lasted  long. 

12.  qui  pauci  admodum  : very  few  of  whom;  for  quorum  pauci 
admodum. 

cum  vestra  aetate  : i.e.  with  those  of  your  time  of  life. 

14.  quae  auxit : the  relative  clause  here  has  causal  force,  — 
since  it  has  increased. 

auxit,  sustulit : note  the  adversative  asyndeton,  — has  in- 
creased, . . but  has  removed.  B.  346,  b. 

16.  ne  videar  : explaining  the  purpose  of  the  assertion. 

omnino  : i.e.  war  to  the  knife,  lit.  altogether. 

17.  cuius  est  . . . naturalis  modus:  a certain  measure  of 
ivhich,  perhaps , is  justified  by  nature. 

18.  ne  in  istis  quidem  ipsis  voluptatibus  : even  in  those  very 
pleasures  ; ne  . . . quidem  after  a negative,  as  p.  4,  1.  30. 


86 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


sensu : feeling. 

19.  magisteria : lit.  presidencies , i.e.  the  custom  of  having  a 
presiding  officer  ( magister  bibendi)  at  a banquet  to  direct  the 
drinking  and  the  talk.  The  magister  bibendi  was  usually  chosen 
by  a throw  of  the  dice. 

20.  qui  a summo  adhibetur  in  poculo  : which  is  held  over  the 
wine , beginning  at  the  head  of  the  table , lit.  from  the  top. 

22.  minuta  atque  rorantia : rorantia  defies  translation  ; the 
word  is  here  used  by  Cicero  to  render  the  Greek  €Tri\J/€Kdfa  of 
Xenophon,  Symposium,  ii.  26.  Literally  roro  means  4 to  bedew,’ 
‘moisten’  ; here  it  suggests  the  few  drops  (as  of  dew)  which  the 
cups  contained. 

refrigeratio  aestate  : a cool  apartment  in  summer  ; the  temporal 
ablative  aestate  serves  (quite  irregularly)  as  an  attributive  modifier 
of  refrigeratio , corresponding  to  hibernus  with  sol  and  ignis. 

23.  sol  aut  ignis  hibernus  : sun  or  fire  in  winter . 

quae  quidem : a programme  which , in  fact. 

24.  in  Sabinis : on  my  Sabine  farm.  Sabinis  is  masculine. 
By  a peculiar  idiom  the  Romans  used  the  name  of  a people  dwell- 
ing in  a district  to  designate  an  estate  situated  there  ; hence  mei 
Sabini , mei  Tusci , lit.  my  Sabines , my  Tuscans , in  the  sense  of 
‘my  Sabine  estate,’  ‘ my  Tuscan  estate.’ 

convivium  vicinorum  compleo : fill  up  the  feast  with  my 
neighbors.  Verbs  of  filling  are  more  commonly  construed  with  the 
ablative,  but  occasionally  take  the  genitive  after  the  analogy  of 
plenus. 

25.  ad  multam  noctem  quam  maxime  possumus : as  far 

into  the  night  as  possible. 

27.  quasi  titillatio : titillatio  properly  means  ‘tickling’  ; here 
it  is  transferred  to  denote  keenness  of  sensation  ; hence  the  ‘ apolo- 
getic’ quasi ; see  note  on  p.  3,  1.  19. 

28.  desideratio  : longing  ; the  word  does  not  occur  elsewhere 
in  this  sense. 

nihil  autem  est  molestum,  etc.  : the  thought  is  inaccurately 
expressed.  Cicero  really  means : ‘ the  lack  of  a thing  that  you 
do  not  want,  is  not  annoying.’ 

29.  Bene  Sophocles  : sc.  dixit . 

31.  utereturne  rebus  veneriis:  enjoyed  the  delights  of  love. 


NOTES 


87 


Di  meliora:  elliptical  for  di  meliora  duint  ( = deni),  — Heaven 
forbid  ! The  quotation  is  from  Plato,  Republic,  I,  329  C. 

32.  istinc : i.e.  ah  istis  rebus  veneriis. 

21.  2.  satiatis  et  expletis : the  two  words  are  closely  synony- 
mous ; see  note  on  p.  15,  1.  5. 

3.  Quamquam  : corrective  ; see  p.  1,  1.  7. 

4.  hoc  non  desiderare : this  absence  of  longing ; hoc  limits 
the  substantive  idea  represented  by  the  infinitive. 

5.  bona  aetas  : i.e.  youth. 

6.  libentius  : with  greater  zest. 

primum  : in  the  first  place  (I  will  say). 

7.  potitur : apparently  used  to  avoid  the  repetition  of  fruitur, 
which  has  already  occurred  twice  in  the  sentence. 

8.  Turpione  Ambivio : Ambivius  Turpio,  an  actor  and  theat- 
rical manager  of  the  time  of  Terence,  in  whose  plays  he  often 
appeared.  When  the  praenomen  is  omitted  the  two  other  names 
are  occasionally  transposed  as  here.  Such  transposition  is  rela- 
tively rare  in  Cicero,  but  occurs  with  great  frequency  in  later 
writers,  especially  Tacitus. 

9.  in  prima.  cavea  : in  the  front  part  of  the  theatre;  the  name 
cavea , lit.  hollow  space , was  applied  to  the  sloping  rows  of  seats 
in  a theatre. 

spectat : used  absolutely,  — looks  on. 

delectatur  tamen,  etc.  : yet  he  also  is  pleased  who  looks  on 
from  the  back  part  (of  the  theatre)  ; supply  cavea  with  ultima , and 
spectat  with  qui. 

11.  propter:  adverbial,  — (from)  near  at  hand. 

12.  tantum  quantum  sat  est : modifying  delectatur ; the  ex- 
pression is  periphrastic  for  the  simple  satis , ‘ sufficiently  ’ ; sat,  for 
satis,  is  archaic. 

*000f&.  At  ilia  quanti  sunt  animum  . . . secum  esse,  etc.  : but 
what  a precious  thing  it  is  for  the  mind  to  be  with  itself,  etc.  Ilia 
is  explained  by  the  following  appositional  infinitives  esse  and  vivere. 
The  singular,  illud,  might  have  been  used  instead  of  ilia;  quanti 
is  Genitive  of  Value. 

14.  tamquam  emeritis  stipendiis  libidinis:  having  finished 
the  service  of  lust,  so  to  speak;  stipendia  emereri  lit.  means  to 
serve  out  one's  campaigns,  i.e.  to  serve  the  number  prescribed  by 


88 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


law.  The  boldness  of  the  figure  calls  forth  the  4 apologetic  ’ particle 
tamqucim.  The  Roman  writers  are  particularly  fond  of  military 
figures. 

15.  secumque,  ut  dicitur,  vivere : nt  dicitur , like  quod  aiunt , 
p.  9,  1.  30,  indicates  that  the  expression  was  a current  or  proverbial 
one. 

16.  aliquod  tamquam  pabulum,  etc. : some  food  for  study , so 
to  speak ; pabulum  is  properly  fodder  for  animals;  hence  the 
‘apologetic’  tamquam. 

18.  otiosa:  i.e.  free  from  public  service  or  responsibility. 

Exerceri  : engaged . On  the  reading  see  Critical  Appendix. 

19.  paene  : limiting  caeli  et  terrae. 

C.  Galium  : Gaius  Sulpicius  Gallus,  a man  eminent  as  an  astron- 
omer. He  served  under  L.  Aemilius  in  the  campaign  against  Per- 
seus, and  by  his  prediction  of  an  eclipse  saved  the  army  from  panic. 
In  166  b.c.  he  filled  the  office  of  consul. 

20.  patris  tui : i.e.  Aemilius  Paulus. 

21.  describere  : i.e.  to  draw  some  chart  astronomical  or  geo- 
graphical. 

oppressit : surprised. 

22.  quam  delectabat  eum : how  it  delighted  him!  The  sub- 
ject of  delectabat  is  praedicere. 

23.  multo  ante : i.e.  long  before  the  actual  eclipse. 

24.  levioribus : less  severe. 

acutis : i.e.  demanding  keenness,  acumen. 

25.  bello  Funico  Naevius : the  allusion  is  to  Naevius’ s cele- 
brated epic  poem  in  Saturnian  verse  on  the*  First  Punic  War,  in 
which  Naevius  had  taken  an  active  part.  Only  a few  fragments 
of  this  work  have  come  down  to  us. 

quam  Truculent©  Plautus,  quam  Pseudolo:  T.  Maccius 
Plautus,  the  greatest  Roman  writer  of  comedy,  lived  from  254  to 
184  b.c.  Among  the  twenty  plays  of  Plautus  that  have  been  pre- 
served, the  Truculentus  takes  low  rank  ; the  Pseudolus,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  one  of  the  best. 

26.  Vidi  etiam  senem  Livium : I saiv  Livius  too  when  he  was 
an  old  man.  The  reference  is  to  Livius  Andronlcus  (283-204  b.c.), 
not  to  be  confounded  with  the  historian  Livy  (Titus  Livius  Pata- 
vinus) , who  lived  more  than  two  centuries  later.  Livius  AndronI- 


NOTES 


89 


cus,  though  not  the  first  Latin  writer,  was  the  real  pioneer  of 
Roman  literature.  He  had  come  to  Rome  as  a slave  after  the  capt- 
ure of  Tarentum  (272  b.c.),  and  in  240  b.c.,  six  years  before  the 
birth  of  Cato,  had  brought  out  the  first  play  at  Rome.  One  of  his 
most  celebrated  works  was  the  translation  of  the  Odyssey  into 
Saturnians. 

27.  cum  fabulam  docuisset : having  brought  out  a play ; 
another  circumstantial  cwm-clause  ; see  p.  8, 1.  13  ; fabulam  docere, 
lit.  ‘ teach  a play,’  i.e.  teach  the  actors  their  parts,  is  the  regular 
phrase  for  4 bringing  out  a play.’ 

29.  Quid : ivhy  f 

30.  P.  Licini  Crassi:  see  note  on  p.  12,  1.  20. 

31.  huius  P.  Scipionis : the  Publius  Scipio  now  living;  the 
reference  is  to  P.  Cornelius  Scipio  Nasica  Corculum. 

his  paucis  diebus : a few  days  ago , lit.  in  the  course  of  these 
few  days . 

22.  1.  senes:  when  old  men. 

2.  M.  Cethegum : mentioned  p.  5,  1.  18,  as  a colleague  of 
Tuditanus  in  the  consulship  (204  b.c.). 

Suadae  medullam : the  quintessence  (lit.  marrow ) of  Persua- 
sion, i.e.  of  eloquence.  Suadae  is  a translation  of  the  Greek 
Weiddj. 

3.  exerceri:  as  p.  21,  1.  18. 

6.  comparandae  : sc.  sunt , deserve  to  be  compared. 

7.  prudentibus  et  bene  institutis : in  case  of  wise  and  well- 
trained  men ; Dative  of  Reference. 

8.  honestum:  i. e.  does  its  author  credit : honestus  when  applied 
to  things  often  means  4 conferring  honor.’ 

illud  Solonis  quod  ait:  that  observation  of  Solon , which  he 
makes. 

9.  versiculo  quodam  : see  note  on  p.  11,  1.  30.  The  verse  was 
a dactylic  pentameter  ; hence  the  diminutive  versiculus , as  denot- 
ing a verse  shorter  than  the  hexameter. 

13.  nec  : correlative  with  et  after  senectute. 

14.  ad  sapientis  vitam  : i.e.  to  the  (ideal)  life  of  a philosopher. 

proxime  accedere : to  make  the  nearest  approach. 

15.  Habent  rationem,  etc. : the  whole  passage  abounds  in  mer- 
cantile figures : habent  rationem,  4 keep  account  ’ ; numquam  recu - 


90 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


sat  imperium , 4 never  refuses  their  draft  ’ ; nec  amquam  sine  usura 
reddit,  ‘never  passes  a dividend.’  See  Critical  Appendix. 

cum  terra : with  Mother  Earth ; terra  is  here  personified,  being 
conceived  as  the  banker  with  whom  account  is  kept. 

17.  alias:  here  = sometimes,  correlative  with  the  following  pie - 
rumque. 

19.  vis  ac  natura : power  and  nature. 

20.  Quae  cum,  etc.:  explanatory  of  the  foregoing  sentence, — 
for  when  she , etc. 

gremio : on  her  bosom : the  ablative  is  strictly  instrumental, 
though  doubtless  possessing,  even  to  the  Roman  mind,  a slight 
locative  force. 

mollito  ac  subacto  : broken  up  and  made  mellow , i.e.  by  plough- 
ing; hysteron  proteron,  B.  374,  7 ; H.  636,  V.  2. 

21.  primum  occaecatum,  etc.  : first  she  holds  it  in  hiding, 
from  which  ( circumstance ) the  ( process ) which  accomplishes  that 
is  called  4 occatio'  ( harrowing ).  Cicero  means  that  the  Romans 
applied  the  name  occatio  to  harrowing  because  that  operation  hid 
( occaecavit ) the  seed  under  the  surface  of  the  soil ; but  this  ety- 
mology, like  so  many  others  suggested  by  ancient  writers,  is  purely 
fanciful  and  phonetically  impossible. 

22.  quae  hoc  efficit,  nominata  est : both  the  relative  quae  and 
the  subject  of  nominata  est  have  been  attracted  into  the  gender  of 
the  predicate  noun  occatio.  Logically  we  should  have  expected 
quod  and  nominatum  est , but  attraction  is  practically  the  rule  in 
cases  like  this. 

deinde  tepefactum  vapore,  etc. : then  when  she  has  warmed  it 
( the  seed ) with  the  heat  of  her  embrace , she  makes  it  expand  ; note 
the  hendiadys  in  vapore  et  compressu. 

23.  elicit:  brings  forth. 

24.  herbescentem  viriditatem : the  green-growing  plant , lit. 
the  bladed  greenness. 

stirpium  : we  should  have  expected  stirpis. 

25.  erecta  : with  reflexive  force,  — raising  itself. 

26.  vaginis : i.e.  each  new  joint  is  protected  by  a sheath  or 
bract. 

iam  quasi  pubescens  : with  the  down  of  youth , so  to  speak, 
already  upon  it ; pubesco  strictly  applies  to  boys  whose  cheeks  are 


NOTES 


91 


just  beginning  to  show  the  down  of  youth.  Cicero  here  applies 
the  word  to  a growing  plant,  but  with  an  apology  (quasi)  for  the 
boldness  of  the  figure. 

e quibus : i.e.  from  the  vaginae. 

27.  fundit : brings  forth  ; suggesting  abundance. 

spici  ordine  structam : arranged  in  regular  ears , lit.  in  the 
orderliness  of  the  ear.  Note  that  Cicero  here  uses  spicum , i;  the 
usual  word  is  spica , ae. 

29.  Quid:  why f 

ortus,  satus  : ortus  seems  to  refer  to  the  springing  up  of  vines, 
satus  to  their  planting.  Observe  the  use  of  the  plural  to  denote 
repeated  instances. 

30.  ut  noscatis  : not  the  purpose  of  satiari , but  of  Cato’s  state- 
ment, — ‘ this  I say  that  you  may  know.’ 

32.  vim  ipsam  : i.e.  the  natural  capacity. 

omnium  : neuter  ; = omnium  rerum  ; see  note  on  p.  2,  1.  8. 

quae  generantur  e terra  : a circumlocution  for  plants , for 
which  Latin  has  no  single  word. 

23.  1.  tantulo  : i.e.  so  tiny  as  we  know  them. 

acini  vinaceo  : the  stone  of  a grape. 

3.  procreet : Subjunctive  of  Characteristic,  with  accessory 
notion  of  cause, — since  it  brings  forth. 

Malleoli,  plantae,  sarmenta,  viviradices,  propagines : mal- 
lets, sprouts , cuttings , divisions,  layers.  A “layer”  (propago)  is 
a shoot  whose  tip,  either  naturally  or  artificially,  has  become  em- 
bedded in  the  earth  and  has  taken  root.  Our  black  raspberry 
propagates  itself  naturally  in  this  way.  A 44  division  ” (viviradix) 
is  the  name  technically  applied  to  a vertical  section  of  a plant,  re- 
taining a part  of  the  stem  and  root  of  the  parent.  “Cuttings” 
(sarmenta)  are  clipped  from  terminal  twigs ; cf.  sarpo,  4 prune,’ 
4 clip  the  ends.’  44  Sprouts  ” (plantae)  are  the  slender  shoots  that 
spring  up  about  the  base  of  a shrub  or  tree,  or  at  times  appear 
sporadically  on  the  trunk  itself.  44  Mallets  ” (malleoli)  differ  from 
“cuttings”  in  that  they  are  cut  in  the  particular  shape  indicated 
by  their  name. 

4.  nonne  efficiunt  ut  delectent : merely  a periphrasis  for 
nonne  delectant  ? Cf.  p.  18,  1.  18,  invitus  feci  ut  eicerem. 

&.  quemvis  : i.e.  even  the  least  appreciative  observer. 


92 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


cum  admiratione  delectent : i.e.  fill  with  admiration  and 
delight. 

6.  natura  caduca  est : is  naturally  trailing. 

fertur : sinks. 

7.  eadem  : to  be  taken  with  vitis , — the  vine  again. 

8.  serpentem  multiplici  cursu  et  erratico  : winding  in  mani- 
fold and  straggling  course. 

9.  ferro  : i.e.  the  pruning-knife. 

10.  ars  agricolarum  : the  skilful  husbandmen,  the  abstract  for 
the  concrete. 

11.  nimia  : too  far. 

12.  in  eis  : i.e.  in  those  shoots. 

quae  relicta  sunt:  viz.,  after  pruning,  hence  those  shoots 
which  have  not  been  clipped  in  the  pruning  process. 

tamquam  ad  articulos : at  the  joints,  so  to  speak;  articulus 
properly  applies  to  the  joint  in  an  animal  organism  ; hence  the 
necessity  of  some  apologetic  particle  here. 

13.  ea  quae  gemma  dicitur  : by  attraction  for  id  quod  gemma 
dicitur  (see  note  on  p.  22,  1.  22)  ; gemma  meant  originally  4 out- 
growth,’ ‘bud’  ( gemma  for  *gen-ma,  root  gen-,  seen  in  gen-us, 
genitus)  ; the  meaning  ‘gem,’  ‘jewel,’  was  a secondary  develop- 
ment. Cicero  apparently  imagined  the  reverse  to  be  true. 

14.  suco  : moisture. 

16.  nec  . . . et : correlative,  as  p.  22,  1.  13. 

17.  ardores : the  plural  as  in  ortus,  satus,  p.  22,  1.  29. 

18.  cum  . . . turn : either  . . . or. 

fructu  laetius,  aspectu  pulchrius  : pleasanter  to  enjoy,  fairer 
to  behold.  Notice  that  laetus  is  here  transferred  in  meaning  from 
glad  to  gladdening ; so  below,  1.  32  ; fructu  and  aspectu  are  nouns, 
not  supines. 

20.  adminiculorum  or  dines  : 7'ows  of  stakes,  to  support  the 
vines. 

21.  capitum  iugatio  : joining  the  tops  of  the  stakes  by  cross- 
pieces, a method  still  practised  in  Italian  vineyards. 

religatio  et  propagatio  : tying  up  and  training ; religatio 
occurs  only  here  ; propagatio  refers  to  guiding  the  course  of  the 
new  growth  and  giving  the  fresh  shoots  the  proper  direction. 

23.  aliorum  immissio  : the  allowing  others  to  grow,  viz.,  those 


NOTES 


93 


spoken  of  above  as  quae  relicta  sunt;  immissio  occurs  only  here 
in  this  sense,  but  immitto  in  the  sense  of  4 let  grow  ’ is  well 
attested. 

24.  repastinationesque  : i.e.  digging  up  the  earth  with  the 
pastinum , a two-pronged  fork. 

26.  dixi : i.e.  about  those  things. 

eo  libro,  quem  de  rebus  rusticis  scripsi : the  reference  is  to 
Cato’s  de  Agricultura,  a work  on  farming,  which  has  come  down 
to  us.  The  discussion  of  manuring  is  in  chapter  28  of  that 
treatise. 

27.  de  qua  doctus  Hesiodus  : about  which  Hesiod , with  all 
his  learning , said  never  a word , though  he  wrote  on  farming.  On 
Hesiod,  see  note  on  p.  10,  1.  19.  Hesiod’s  treatment  of  farming  is 
found  in  his  Works  and  Days.  Note  the  fine  scorn  of  Cato  at 
this  serious  defect  in  the  work  of  his  Greek  predecessor. 

28.  At  Homerus : Homer,  in  Cato’s  opinion,  has  done  some- 
what better. 

29.  multis  ante  saeculis  fuit : lived  many  generations  earlier ; 
fuit  = vixit. 

Laertam  lenientem  desiderium : Laertes  endeavoring  to  as- 
suage the  longing ; conative  use  of  the  present  participle.  The  allu- 
sion seems  to  be  to  the  picture  of  Laertes  given  in  Odyssey,  XXIV, 
226,  but  in  that  passage  there  is  no  mention  of  manuring.  Laertes 
is  simply  represented  as  digging  about  the  roots  of  the  plants. 

30.  quod  capiebat  e filio  : which  he  felt  for  his  son,  viz.,  the 
absent  Ulysses,  lit.  which  he  took  from  (in  consequence  of)  his  son. 

colentem  et  eum  stercorantem : these  show  the  means,  — 
assuaging  his  longing  by  tilling  the  ground  and  manuring  it. 
When  two  verbs  govern  the  same  object,  it  is  unusual  to  express 
the  pronoun  with  the  second  as  here. 

31.  facit : represents. 

segetibus  : standing  crops  of  grain  ; this  and  the  following 
ablatives  denote  cause. 

32.  res  rusticae  : farm  life. 

laetae : pleasant,  as  above,  1.  18. 

24.  1.  hortis : vegetable  gardens. 

2.  florum  omnium  : flowers  of  all  kinds. 

3.  consitiones,  insitiones  : planting  (of  trees),  grafting. 


94 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


5.  Possum  persequi : I might  enumerate.  The  Latin  com- 
monly employs  the  indicative  of  possum  in  cases  like  this,  where 
the  English  idiom  would  lead  us  to  expect  the  subjunctive. 

6.  ea  ipsa  : sc.  oblectamenta , — these  very  attractions. 

7.  longiora  : i.e.  have  been  dwelt  upon  at  too  great  length. 

Ignoscetis  autem : but  pardon  me;  as  frequently,  the  future 

indicative  has  imperative  force. 

8.  provectus  sum : I have  been  carried  on. 

loquacior : rather  talkative. 

9.  ne  videar : see  note  on  ne  indixisse  videar , p.  20, 1.  16. 

Ergo  in  hac  vita : the  emphasis  rests  upon  the  phrase  in  lxac 

vita , — this,  now , is  the  kind  of  life  in  which  Manius  Curius  spent 
the  close  of  his  days. 

10.  Curius  : see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  1. 

de  Samnitibus  : over  the  Samnites. 

12.  Cuius  quidem,  etc. : the  mention  of  Curius’s  name  irre- 
sistibly leads  Cato  to  relate  a famous  incident  illustrative  of 
Curius’s  character.  That  Cato  himself  feels  this  to  be  a digres- 
sion, is  clearly  shown  by  the  words  below  (1.  19)  : sed  venio  ad 
agricolas , ne  a me  ipso  recedam. 

15.  Samnites  . . . repudiati  sunt:  this  incident  occurred 
after  the  subjugation  of  the  Samnites.  Curius  had  become  their 
patronus  at  Rome,  and  the  gold  had  been  brought  as  a gift,  not  as 
a bribe  ; nevertheless  he  refused  it. 

16.  non  enim  : non  belongs  closely  with  aurum  habere , — he 
said  it  was  not  the  possession  of  gold  that  seemed  excellent  to  him , 
but  commanding  those  who  had  it. 

18.  Poteratne : - ne  regularly  derives  its  force  from  the  con- 
text ; here  it  is  equivalent  to  num. 

19.  non  iucundum : other  than  pleasant.  Cf.  p.  4,  1.  31,  non 
gravis. 

20.  ne  a me  ipso  recedam  : lest  I wander  from  my  subject. 

In  agris : emphatic, — the  country  in  those  days  was  the  home 
of  senators ; turn  does  not  refer  to  the  time  of  Curius,  but  simply 
in  a general  way  to  the  early  days.  Cincinnatus  lived  a century 
and  a half  before  Curius. 

21.  id  est  senes  : i.e.  senator  by  its  very  derivation  implies 


senex. 


NOTES 


95 


si  quidem  aranti,  etc. : aranti  is  the  emphatic  word,  — if  indeed 
L.  Quinctius  Cincinnatus  was  ploughing,  when  the  news  was 
brought,  etc. 

L.  Quinctio  Cincinnato : Cincinnatus  was  twice  dictator,  458 
and  439  b.c. 

22.  esse  factum : we  should  have  expected  dictum  esse,  dicta- 
torem  dicere  being  the  technical  phrase  for  4 to  appoint  a dictator.  ’ 

23.  cuius  dictatoris  iussu:  by  ivhose  command  when  dictator ; 
another  digression  ; see  note  on  p.  5,  1.  13. 

24.  Sp.  Maelium  : viz.  in  439  b.c.  In  a time  of  great  scarcity 
Maelius  had  sold  grain  at  a merely  nominal  price,  and  thus  in- 
curred the  charge  of  aiming  at  regal  power.  When  summoned 
before  Cincinnatus,  he  refused  to  appear.  Thereupon  Ahala 
attacked  and  killed  him ; but  for  this  high-handed  act,  he  was 
himself  arraigned,  and  escaped  punishment  only  by  withdrawing 
into  voluntary  exile. 

occupatum  interemit : forestalled  and  put  to  death ; occupatum 
means  that  Ahala  prevented  Maelius  from  executing  his  alleged 
design. 

25.  A villa,  etc. : Hwas  from  their  country  estates  that  Curius 
and  the  rest  icere  summoned. 

26.  ceteri  senes:  i.e.  the  others  whom  everybody  recalls. 

ex  quo  : in  consequence  of  which. 

viatores:  lit.  travellers;  the  very  name  of  the  officials  who 
gave  the  notification  is  held  by  Cato  to  show  that  the  men  notified 
lived  at  a distance  from  the  city. 

27.  horum  qui:  not,  of  those  who  (which  would  be  eorum  qui ), 
but,  of  these  men  (J  have  mentioned ),  in  as  much  as  they , etc. 

28.  agri  cultione : for  the  usual  agri  cultura. 

mea  quidem  sententia:  in  my  opinion,  at  least,  whatever 
others  may  think. 

29.  haud  scio  an  nulla,  etc.  : I am  inclined  to  think  that 
none,  etc.  This  is  the  regular  force  of  haud  scio  an  in  Cicero. 
B.  300,  5. 

30.  officio  : as  regards  the  occupation , lit.  function , duty. 

31.  salutaris : wholesome. 

25.  1.  ad  cultum  deorum:  i.e.  the  farm  supplies  the  first 
fruits  and  the  victims  offered  to  the  gods. 


96 


CATO  MAIOR  I)E  SENECTUTE 


2.  ut  in  gratiam  iam  cum  voluptate  redeamus : so  that  we 
are  already  getting  on  good  terms  again  with  pleasure;  alluding 
to  Cato’s  earnest  invective  against  pleasure  in  chapter  xii. 

4.  olearia : sc.  cella.  Butter  was  practically  unknown  to  the 
Romans  ; olive  oil  took  its  place,  as  it  does  still  in  Italy. 

penaria  : sc.  cella,  pantry,  larder. 

5.  locuples  : i.e.  richly  supplied. 

porco,  haedo,  agno,  gallina:  pork,  kid's  flesh,  lamb , poultry ; 
all  these  words  are  here  used  with  collective  force. 

6.  Iam  : moreover ; here  used  as  a particle  of  transition. 

7.  succidiam  alteram  : the  second  meat  supply,  lit.  the  second 
flitch;  succidia  properly  designates  a ‘side’  or  ‘flitch’  of  bacon. 
Cato  means  that  the  products  of  the  garden  are  so  many  and 
so  valuable  that  they  constitute  a safe  reliance,  should  flesh  be 
lacking. 

Conditiora,  etc. : fowling  and  hunting  give  these  things  (i.e.  the 
attractions  already  enumerated)  a greater  zest  by  occupying  one's 
leisure.  Special  emphasis  rests  upon  conditiora,  but  it  is  very 
difficult  to  bring  this  out  in  translation. 

11.  brevi  praecidam  : I will  cut  off  (all  further  remarks)  with 
(this)  brief  statement.  As  object  of  praecidam  understand  sermo- 
nem  or  some  similar  word  ; brevi  is  explained  by  what  follows. 

Agro  bene  culto,  etc.  : the  emphasis  rests  on  agro,  — as  com- 
pared with  a well-tilled  farm  nothing  can  be,  etc. 

13.  invitat  atque  allectat : synonyms,  as  p.  15,  1.  5. 

14.  ilia  aetas : i.e.  men  of  that  time  of  life. 

15.  calescere  vel  apricatione  melius  vel  igni  : bask  more 
comfortably  in  the  sun  or  by  the  fire. 

lb.  aquis : this  probably  refers  to  baths. 

refrigerari  : cool  themselves ; reflexive. 

Sibi  habeant : let  them  keep  to  themselves  ; as  subject  of  habeant 
understand  iuvenes. 

17.  clavam : the  clava  was  a kind  of  foil  used  by  soldiers  in 
practice. 

18.  pilam : various  games  of  ball  were  played  by  the  Romans, 
but  none  in  which  the  bat  was  used. 

19.  ex  lusionibus  multis  : out  of  many  sports. 

talos  et  tesseras : tali,  lit.  ‘knuckle  bones,’  were  dice  with 


NOTES 


97 


four  flat  sides  and  two  round  ones  ; the  tesserae  had  six  sides  like 
our  dice. 

20.  id  ipsum  ut  lubebit : even  that  ( they  may  do  or  not)  as 
they  please ; i.e.  they  may  either  grant  the  dice  or  withhold  them  ; 
id  ipsum  is  the  object  of  some  verb  to  be  supplied,  — faciant,  for 
example. 

24.  copiose  : eloquently , lit.  abundantly,  fully. 

25.  qui  est,  qui  inscribitur : we  should  naturally  expect  a 
connective  with  qui  inscribitur,  — 4 and  which  is  entitled ; ’ its 
absence  is  usually  explained  as  due  to  the  parenthetical  nature  of 
the  clause  qui  est  de  tuenda  re. 

de  tuenda  re  familiari : on  the  care  of  property. 

Oeconomicus  : this  work,  as  its  name  suggests,  treats  of  the 
management  of  an  estate  ( oIkos , vo^ a>). 

26.  ut  intellegatis  : see  note  on  p.  22, 1.  30,  ut  noscatis. 

regale:  princely,  i.e.  worthy  of  a prince. 

27.  in  eo  libro  : viz.  in  chapter  iv.,  sections  20-25. 

loquitur  cum  Critobulo  : in  conversation  with  Critobulus  says  ; 

Critobulus  was  a disciple  of  Socrates. 

28.  Cyrum  minorem,  Persarum  regem  : Cyrus,  the  Younger, 
who  fell  at  Cunaxa  (401  b.c.)  in  the  attempt  to  wrest  the  throne 
from  his  brother  Artaxerxes.  See  Xenophon,  Anabasis,  I,  7-9. 
Cyrus  was  never  king,  but  simply  the  son  of  King  Darius,  and 
satrap  of  the  provinces  of  Lydia,  Phrygia,  and  Cappadocia ; hence 
regem  in  this  passage  means  no  more  than  4 prince,’  4 ruler.’ 

29.  Lysander  Lacedaemonius : the  distinguished  Spartan 
leader  ; he  commanded  at  Aegospotami,  405  b.c. 

30.  vir  summae  virtutis : a man  of  the  greatest  ability  ; virtutis 
here  cannot  refer  to  high  moral  worth  ; Lysander’s  character  was 
not  above  reproach. 

ad  eum  Sardis  : to  him  at  Sardis.  Sardis  ( = 2dp5eis)  is  accu- 
sative plural.  A.  & G.  259,  h ; B.  182,  2,  b ; G.  337,  6,  Sardis 
was  the  capital  of  Cyrus’s  satrapy. 

31.  a sociis : i.e.  the  Lacedaemonians  and  the  other  Pelopon- 
nesian states  that  were  leagued  against  Athens  in  the  Peloponnesian 
War.  Cyrus  assisted  Lysander  and  the  Spartans  with  large  sums 
of  money  in  this  struggle.  His  object  was  to  secure  Spartan 
assistance. in  carrying  out  his  designs  upon  the  throne  of  Persia. 


98 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


et  (ceteris) : et  is  correlative  with  et  following  fuisse. 

32.  humanum  : kindly.  p 

26,  1.  consaeptum  agrum : park;  this  phrase  is  used  to  ren- 
der the  Greek  irapadeuros ; hence  the  absence  of  et  before  consitum. 
consitum  : planted  with  trees,  in  rows  or  groups. 

2.  proceritates : the  plural,  because  there  were  many  trees 
( arbor es ),  each  of  which  was  procera. 

3.  in  quincuncem  : quincunx  was  the  name  of  the  five-spot  on 
a die  \ • * • Hence  in  quincuncem  is  used  to  designate  an  arrange- 
ment of  trees  by  which  the  lines  run  diagonally  as  in  the  following 
diagram : 


4.  subactam  : i.e.  carefully  cultivated.  Of.  p.  22,  1.  20. 

puram : i.e.  free  from  weeds,  stones,  etc. 

5.  afflarentur : were  wafted. 

eum  dixisse : dependent  on  loquitur  above. 

7.  dimensa  atque  discripta : laid  out  and  arranged  ; note  the 
passive  use  of  the  deponent  dimensa ; cf.  adeptam , p.  3,  1.  1. 

8.  ego  ista  sum  dimensus  : ego  is  emphatic  ; I am  the  one  who 
laid  out  these  things  that  you  see. 

mei  sunt  ordines,  etc. : mine  are  the  rotes , mine  the  arrange- 
ment. 

11.  purpuram  : i.e.  his  purple  robe. 

nitorem  corporis  : the  elegance  of  his  person. 

12.  multo  auro  multisque  gemmis : Ablative  of  Quality. 

Hite,  etc. : with  reason  do  they  call  you  happy. 

13.  ferunt : the  subject  is  general,  — people. 

quoniam  virtuti  tuae  fortuna  coniuncta  est : as  shown  by 
the  word  order,  the  emphasis  rests  upon  virtuti , — with  reason  do 
people  call  you  happy , since  it  is  to  inherent  worth  (virtus)  that 
your  prosperity  is  joined.  Cyrus’s  virtus  is  recognized  by  Lysander 
in  his  personal  attention  to  the  improvement  of  his  estate ; fortuna 


NOTES 


99 


refers  to  his  advantages  as  a prince, — purpura,  nitor , gemmae, 
aurum.  See  Critical  Appendix. 

14.  Hac  igitur  fortuna:  this  now  is  the  happy  lot;  igitur,  as 
so  frequently,  simply  resumes  the  substance  of  the  foregoing  dis- 
cussion,— here  of  chapters  xv.  and  xvi.  on  the  delights  of  farm 
life. 

15.  aetas  : old  age. 

impedit : the  object  (nos)  is  omitted,  being  readily  supplied  in 
thought  from  the  following  quominus  clause. 

et  (ceterarum  re  mm)  et  (agri  colendi)  : the  English  idiom 

here  is  either  ...  or. 

16.  usque  ad  ultimum  : up  to  the  very  last. 

17.  M.  Valerium  Corvinum  : in  the  Gallic  War  of  349  b.c. 
M.  Valerius  Corvlnus  defeated  a gigantic  Gaul  in  single  combat. 
During  the  struggle  a raven  (corvus)  is  said  to  have  perched  upon 
Corvinus’s  helmet,  and  to  have  lent  him  assistance  by  flying  in  the 
face  of  his  antagonist ; whence  the  surname  Corvinus. 

18.  perduxisse  : sc.  studia  agri  colendi,  — continued  the  pur- 
suits of  farming. 

19.  cum  esset  . . . coleret : still  remaining  on  the  farm  and 
cultivating  it  after  his  life  was  already  spent ; aetas  here  covers  the 
period  of  an  ordinary  lifetime,  corresponding  to  our  “three  score 
years  and  ten.”  Eor  the  <mm-clauses,  see  note  on  p.  8,  1.  13;  for 
acta  aetate  we  should  have  expected  exacta  aetate. 

20.  primum  et  sextum  consulatum  : Corvinus’s  first  consul- 
ship was  in  349  b.c.,  his  sixth  in  299.  Cicero’s  reckoning,  there- 
fore, betrays  an  error. 

22.  maiores  : supply  in  sense  nostri. 

ad  senectutis  initium  : up  to  the  beginning  of  old  age , i.e.  from 
birth.  Old  age  (senectus)  properly  began  at  sixty,  but  Cicero  is 
here  thinking  rather  of  the  aetas  seniorum,  the  time  when  men 
became  exempt  from  military  service  ; this  was  at  forty-six. 

esse  voluerunt : allowed,  lit.  wished  to  be. 

23.  cursus  honorum  : the  technical  expression  denoting  official 
career,  including  all  offices  from  the  quaestorship  to  the  consulship. 

huius  extrema  aetas  : the  latter  part  of  his  life. 

24.  hoc  : explained  by  the  clause  quod  habebat. 

auctoritatis  : influence. 


100 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


25.  apex : the  crowning  glory ; apex  primarily  designated  the 
pointed  piece  of  wood  inserted  in  the  top  of  the  cap  worn  by  the 
flamens. 

26.  fuit : sc.  auctoritas. 

L.  Caecilio  Metello  : see  note  on  p.  13,  1.  14. 

27.  A.  Atilio  Calatino : Calatinus  was  twice  consul  (258  and 
254  b.c.)  and  once  dictator  (249  b.c.)  in  the  Eirst  Punic  War. 

illud : the  following. 

elogium  : epitaph.  The  word  is  derived  from  the  Greek  iXeyeiov , 
‘epitaph,’  ‘sepulchral  inscription.’  English  eulogy  is  not  re* 
lated. 

28.  Hunc  unum  : this  man  above  all  others. 

gentes  : used  in  the  technical  sense. 

29.  populi  : with  virum . 

30.  carmen:  i.e.  the  entire  epitaph,  of  which  Cato  cites  only 
two  lines. 

incisum  : explanatory  of  notum  est ; the  epitaph  is  familial' 
because  engraved  upon  his  tomb. 

in  sepulcro  : Calatinus  was  buried  on  the  Appian  Way,  near 
the  tombs  of  the  Scipios. 

31.  gravis,  cuius  esset,  etc.;  a man  of  weight , since  all  were 
unanimous  in  his  praise;  fama  omnium  is  literally  the  ‘report  of 
all,’  i.e.  the  reputation  which  all  men  gave  him.  The  clause  cuius 
esset  is  one  of  Characteristic,  with  the  accessory  notion  of  cause ; 
the  clause,  however,  does  not  give  the  reason  for  Calatinus’ s influ- 
ence, but  simply  a reason  why  we  may  infer  that  he  was  influential. 

27,  1.  Quem  virum  nuper,  etc.:  what  a man  we  savj  recently 
in  Publius  Crassus ! lit.  what  a man  we  saw  Publius  Crassus ! 
video  here  takes  two  accusatives,  direct  object  and  predicate  accu- 
sative, like  verbs  of  calling , regarding , etc.  On  Crassus,  see  note 
on  p.  12,  1.  20. 

2.  Lepidum : pontil'ex  maximus  180  b.c.  He  twice  led  the 
Roman  armies  against  the  Ligurians,  and  was  Ion gprinceps  senatus 
(‘  leader  of  the  house  ’). 

3.  Paulo  : see  note  on  p.  13,  1.  4. 

4.  Maximo  : see  p.  5,  1.  8 ff. 

quorum  non  in  sententia  solum  : not  merely  in  whose  opinion ; 
sententia  probably  alludes  to  the  formal  expression  of  opinion 


NOTES 


101 


when  a vote  was  taken  in  the  Senate.  Each  senator,  as  called 
upon,  rose  and  explained  his  vote. 

6.  honorata : i.e.  the  old  age  of  a man  who  had  held  offices 
(honor  es). 

7.  pluris  : of  more  account. 

9.  in  omni  oratione  : in  everything  I say. 

11.  constituta  sit:  i.e.  has  been  firmly  established . 

Ex  quo  efficitur : and  so  it  comes  about. 

id  quod  . . . dixi : a thing  which  I once  remarked. 

12.  assensu  omnium  : i.e.  on  the  part  of  all. 

miseram  esse,  etc.  : logically  this  clause  is  the  subject  of  effici- 
tur, and  would  normally  have  been  expressed  by  ut  misera  sit 
senectus  quae  se  defendat , — and  so  it  comes  about  (as  I once 
remarked ) that  that  old  age  is  wretched  which  has  to  defend  itself 
by  apologies.  But  the  proximity  of  dixi  has  evidently  caused  the 
writer  to  forget  the  structure  of  the  sentence  as  begun  with  effici- 
tur, and  to  make  the  clause  which  should  have  depended  upon 
efficitur  depend  upon  dixi  instead.  This  has  also  involved  the 
change  of  defendat  to  defender  et,  according  to  the  “ sequence  of 
tenses.” 

13.  Non  cani  nec  rugae,  etc.:  non  is  emphatic,  — not  gray 
hair  nor  wrinkles  can  suddenly  lay  hold  on  influence;  with  cani 
understand  capilli  ; this  omission  is  elsewhere  confined  to  poetry. 

15.  fructus  capit  auctoritatis  extremes : reaps  influence  as 
its  final  product ; auctoritatis  is  Appositional  Genitive,  — the  prod- 
uct, influence  (A.  & G.  214,  / ; B.  202  ; G.  361,  1 ; H.  396,  VI.);  ex- 
tremos  is  made  emphatic  by  its  position  at  the  end  of  the  sentence. 

16.  haec  : explained  by  the  following  infinitives. 

honorabilia  : i.e.  tokens  of  honor  ; honorabilis  occurs  only  here 

in  good  Latinity. 

17.  salutari : the  reference  is  probably  to  the  morning  visit  or 
salutatio , which  the  friends  of  a prominent  man  were  wont  to  pay. 

appeti  : to  be  sought  out. 

18.  decedi,  assurgi : these  two  infinitives,  being  intransitive, 
are  used  impersonally,  — to  have  people  make  way  for  one,  rise  in 
one'' s presence,  lit.  (for)  it  to  be  withdrawn , to  be  risen. 

deduci,  reduci,  consuli : a return  to  the  personal  construc- 
tion ; deduco  is  the  technical  term  for  a formal  escort  of  a man 


102 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


from  his  house  to  the  Forum,  reduco  of  the  escort  back  to  his 
house ; consult  means  merely  to  have  one’s  opinion  asked  on  any 
matter  of  importance. 

19.  ut  quaeque  optime  morata  est : according  as  each  is 
most  highly  civilized , lit.  best  mannered. 

22.  honestissimum  : most  honorable. 

23.  nusquam  enim,  etc.  : for  nowhere  is  so  much  regard  paid 
to  age  ; we  should  have  expected  this  to  be  expressed  as  Lysander’s 
thought,  and  accordingly  to  be  in  the  infinitive  dependent  upon 
dicer e above,  but  Cato  gives  it  as  his  own  justification  of  Lysander’s 
statement. 

24.  quin  etiam  : why  actually. 

memoriae  proditum  est : the  story  goes , lit.  it  has  been  handed 
down  to  memory. 

25.  ludis : Ablative  of  Time.  The  reference  is  probably  to  the 
festival  of  the  great  Dionysia,  which  occurred  annually  in  March, 
and  was  celebrated  with  dramatic  performances. 

26.  magno  consessu : Ablative  Absolute  with  adversative 
force,  — although  the  throng  was  great,  implying  that  among  so 
many  some  one  might  have  been  expected  to  offer  the  old  man  a 
seat. 

28.  qui  consederant : an  explanatory  clause  of  the  writer,  and 
hence  in  the  indicative. 

certo  in  loco : special  seats  in  the  orchestra  were  reserved  for 
ambassadors  and  other  distinguished  guests. 

29.  omnes  illi : they  all. 

30.  sessum  : to  a seat , lit.  to  sit  down ; supine  of  sedeo,  used  to 
express  purpose  after  the  idea  of  motion  involved  in  recepisse. 

31.  dixisse  : dependent  upon  proditum  est  above. 

32.  facere  nolle : not  so  much  were  unwilling  to  do  it,  as 
lacked  the  disposition  to  do  it. 

28.  1.  vestro  collegio : sc.  augurum. 

3.  sententiae  principatum  tenet : enjoys  precedence  in  giving 
his  opinion;  i.e.  in  voting  the  augurs  gave  their  opinions  in  the 
order  of  age. 

honore  antecedentibus : including  all  official  positions,  political 
or  sacerdotal. 

4.  cum  imperio  : see  note  on  p.  16,  1.  12. 


NOTES 


103 


7.  quibus  qui,  etc. : those  who  have  made  a fine  use  of  these, 
viz.  of  the  praemiis  auctoritatis . 

8.  fabulam  aetatis : the  drama  of  life,  a common  figure  in  all 
languages. 

peregisse  : to  have  acted  through  to  the  end. 

tamquam  inexercitati  histriones  : like  untrained  players. 

9.  corruisse  : to  have  broken  down. 

10.  At  sunt : at  as  p.  9,  1.  24,  and  frequently. 

morosi : capricious ; by  derivation  morosus  means  full  of  spe- 
cial habits  (mores),  hence  crotchety,  capricious. 

11.  morum  : of  the  character. 

13.  non  illius  quidem : not,  to  be  sure,  a just  one;  when  an 
object  has  two  attributes  connected  and  contrasted  by  quidem  . . . 
sed,  the  demonstrative  pronoun  (or  personal  pronoun)  is  usually 
present  with  the  former  attribute. 

14.  sed  quae  videatur:  but  such  as  seems  capable  of  being 
approved;  this  is  a Clause  of  Characteristic,  and  constitutes  the 
second  of  the  two  attributes  limiting  excusationis. 

contemni,  despici,  illudi : these  words  form  a climax, — 
ignored,  despised,  made  sport  of. 

16.  omnis  offensio  : every  slight ; offensio  is  here  used  passively, 
i.e.  a being  offended. 

17.  dulciora : i.e.  less  annoying. 

bonis  : modifying  both  moribus  and  artibus. 

19.  qui  in  Adelphis  sunt : who  appear  in  the  Adelphi,  an 
extant  comedy  of  Terence  (about  185-159  b.c.). 

20.  Sic  se  res  habet : so  it  is  ( actually ) ; sic  is  best  taken  as 
referring  back  to  the  mellowing  effects  of  good  character  and  good 
breeding. 

21.  Severitatem  : strictness  merely,  a common  meaning  of  the 
word. 

23.  Avaritia  vero : but  what  sense  avarice  can  have  in  an  old 
man , I do  not  understand;  avaritia  is  emphatic  by  position,  but  it 
is  difficult  to  bring  this  out  in  English  translation,  except  by  vocal 
stress. 

25.  quo  viae  minus,  etc.  : i.e.  to  seek  more  funds  in  propor- 
tion as  the  remainder  of  the  journey  diminishes ; quo  and  eo  are 
Ablatives  of  Degree  of  Difference. 


104 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


CHAPTERS  XIX.-XXIII. 


The  fourth  charge  : Old  age  is  not  far  from  death.  But  death 
is  no  evil.  After  death  must  come  either  immortality  or  annihila- 
tion. Death  too  may  come  at  any  time  of  life ; the  young  are  not 
exempt , as  we  have  often  learned  by  sad  experience.  The  old  man 
is  superior , in  fact , to  the  young  man;  the  one  has  realized  what 
the  other  can  only  hope  for.  “ Act  well  thy  part;  there  all  the 
honor  lies."  Examples  of  Bomans  who  have  set  death  at  naught. 
Plato's  arguments  for  the  immortality  of  the  soul.  Cyrus's  views. 
Paulus , Africanus,  and  others  showed  by  their  deeds  their  faith 
in  immortality.  Contemplation  of  the  serene  happiness  of  the 
future  life. 


28.  sollicitam  habere : to  keep  in  a state  of  unrest. 

30.  esse  longe : we  should  have  expected  abesse  here  instead 
of  esse. 

31.  contemnendam  : i.e.  to  he  regarded  with  indifference  ; cf. 
note  on  p.  6,  1.  12. 

29.  1.  etiam  (optanda):  even. 

aliquo  : the  adverb. 

2.  sit  futurus  : is  destined  to  be. 

tertium  nihil : no  third  alternative. 

3.  non  miser  : non  is  to  be  combined  closely  with  miser. 

4.  beatus  etiam  : happy  even ; etiam  receives  additional  em- 
phasis by  being  placed  after  the  word  which  it  limits. 

Quamquam : corrective. 

/o.  quamvis  sit  adulescens  : however  young  he  be. 

cui  sit  exploratum : the  expression  is  inexact.  Cicero  does 
not  mean  : Who  is  so  foolish  as  to  have  discovered  ? but  Who  is  so 
foolish  as  to  think  he  has  discovered  ? 

6.  Quin  etiam : as  p.  27,  1.  24. 

7.  aetas  ilia  : i.e.  persons  of  that  time  of  life. 

casus  mortis:  i.e.  the  active  life  of  young  men  makes  them 
more  liable  to  accidents. 

9.  tristius  curantur:  they  are  treated  by  the  application  of 
severer  remedies  ; the  frailer  health  of  the  aged  calls  for  less  heroic 
treatment. 


NOTES 


105 


10.  ni : in  classical  prose  ni  is  found  almost  exclusively  in  legal 
formulas  and  colloquial  phrases. 

melius  et  prudentius  viveretur:  life  would  be  better  and 
reiser , lit.  it  would  be  lived,  etc. 

11.  Mens,  ratio,  consilium:  ratio  (‘reason’)  and  consilium 
(‘deliberation’)  are  special  functions  of  mens  (‘intellect’). 

12.  qui  si  nulli  fuissent : and  if  there  had  never  been  any,  sc. 
senes. 

13.  ad  mortem  impendentem : to  death  as  ( something ) im- 
minent. 

14.  Quod  est  istud,  etc. : how  is  that  a charge  against  old 
age  f i.e.  how  does  it  constitute  a valid  charge  ? Quod  as  inter- 
rogative adjective  means  ‘ what  kind  of  ? ’ Hence  here  quod  cri- 
men, ‘ what  kind  of  a charge,’  in  the  sense  how  does  it  constitute 
a charge  ? istud  refers  to  the  general  idea  of  death  impending, 
and  is  the  subject  of  est  ? 

id  : i.  e.  the  fact  that  death  is  imminent. 

ei : viz.  senectuti. 

15.  cum  adulescentia : cf.  commune  tecum,  p.  1,  1.  16. 

Sensi,  etc. : sensi  is  emphatic,  — we  have  had  experience,  I in 
the  case  of  my  most  excellent  son,  you  in  the  case  of  your  brothers  ; 
sensi  is  singular  because  agreeing  with  the  nearer  subject,  ego. 

in  optimo  filio : Cato’s  son  died  in  152  b.c.  while  praetor-elect. 

16.  exspectatis  . . . fratribus : a peculiar  expression  for : 
brothers  who  were  expected  to  arrive  at  the  highest  honor.  Cato 
refers  to  the  two  sons  of  Lucius  Aemilius  Paulus,  one  of  whom, 
aged  12,  died  five  days  before  his  father’s  triumph,  the  other,  aged 
14,  three  days  after  the  triumph. 

18.  quod  idem,  etc.:  which  the  old  cannot  likewise  hope,  lit. 
which  same  thing,  etc. 

19.  Insipienter  sperat:  i.e.  he  is  foolish  to  cherish  such  a 

hope  ; insipienter  is  emphatic. 

20.  incerta  pro  certis  habere : to  regard  as  certain  what  is 
uncertain. 

21.  At  senex,  etc. : but,  it  is  alleged,  the  old  man  has  not  even 
anything  to  hope  for ; the  clause  quod  speret  is  one  of  purpose. 

22.  At  est : at  here  introduces  Cato’s  own  reply  to  the  argu- 
ment of  his  imaginary  opponent. 


106 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


23.  ille,  hie : ille  refers  to  the  youth,  hie  to  the  old  man,  as 
the  one  really  nearer  in  thought,  though  not  last  mentioned  in  the 
preceding  context. 

20.  Tartessiorum : the  Tartessians  dwelt  in  southern  Spain. 

27.  ut  scriptum  video  : viz.  in  Herodotus,  I,  163. 

Gadibus  : the  modern  Cadiz. 

28.  centum  viginti : there  are  other  indications  in  Latin  litera- 
ture that  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  was  regarded  by  the 
Romans  as  the  ultimate  limit  to  which  the  life  of  man  might 
extend. 

29.  sed  mihi,  etc. : there  is  a slight  anacoluthon  here ; we 
should  have  expected  this  clause  to  be  introduced  by  tamen , since 
da  and  exspectemus  have  the  force  of  ‘ though  you  grant,’  4 though 
we  look  forward  to.’ 

30.  in  quo  est:  we  might  have  expected  the  Subjunctive  of 
Characteristic  here  ; but  the  indicative  is  regularly  used  in  any 
characterizing  clause  that  has  the  force  of  a condition  ; thus  here 
in  quo  est , etc.  = if  there  is  something  final  in  it. 

31.  quod  praeteriit,  effluxit:  what  has  passed  has  vanished; 
cf.  p.  3,  1.  8. 

tantum  remanet : there  remains  only  so  much. 

32.  consecutus  sis : the  indefinite  2d  singular ; hence  the 
subjunctive. 

30,  1.  horae  et  dies  et  menses  et  anni : note  the  rhetorical 
force  of  the  polysyndeton.  B.  341,  4,  b ; H.  636,  III.  1.  The 
asyndetic  form  of  expression  is,  however,  much  more  usual. 

2.  quid  sequatur:  i.e.  what  the  future  will  be;  the  clause  is 
the  logical  subject  of  sciri  potest. 

4.  Neque  enim:  for  neither ; neque  is  correlative  with  neque 
in  1.  6. 

5.  histrioni  . . . peragenda  fabula  est:  i.e.  the  actor,  in 
order  to  please  his  audience,  does  not  need  to  act  through  the 
piece,  — does  not  need  to  appear  in  every  act. 

modo  probetur : provided  only  he  meet  approval. 

in  quocumque  fuerit:  the  subjunctive  is  purely  the  result  of 
attraction. 

6.  neque  sapienti  usque  ad  Plaudite  veniendum  est:  nor 

does  a wise  man  need  to  come  to  the  very  ‘ Plaudite  ’ ( of  life). 


NOTES 


107 


Plaudite  was  the  regular  appeal  made  by  one  of  the  troupe  at  the 
close  of  the  play  ; hence,  in  a transferred  sense,  it  means  ‘ the 
end,1  ‘conclusion.1 

9.  processerit : as  subject  supply  in  sense  quis , ‘ one.1 

10.  verni  temporis  suavitate  : the  pleasant  spring-time. 

11.  tamquam : tamquam  qualifies  the  entire  phrase  adulescen- 
tiam  signifieat , — typifies  youth , as  it  were. 

12.  ostenditque  fructus  futuros  : i.e.  gives  promise  of  the 
fruits  that  are  to  come. 

13.  tempora : seasons. 

demetendis  et  percipiendis  : reaping  and  gathering ; another 
illustration  of  Cicero’s  fondness  for  grouping  synonyms  in  pairs. 
Cf.  p.  15,  1.  5,  officia  et  munera ; percipio  is  here  used  in  the  same 
sense  as  p.  10,  1.  30. 

15.  ante  partorum  bonorum  : of  blessings  previously  acquired. 

17.  sunt  habenda  : are  to  be  reckoned . 

18.  quod  idem  : which  likewise. 

19.  adversante  et  repugnante  natura  : the  Ablative  Absolute 
here  has  adversative  force,  — though  nature  resists  and  rebels. 

21.  ut  cum  : as  when. 

flammae  vis  : a vigorous  flame. 

22.  nulla  adhibita  vi : without  the  application  of  any  force. 

23.  consumptus  ignis  exstinguitur : a fire  is  extinguished  as 
a result  of  burning  out ; consumptus  takes  the  chief  stress  in  this 
sentence,  and  is  used  in  a middle  sense,  — having  burnt  itself  out. 

quasi:  here  equivalent  to  sicut ; this  use  is  archaic. 

24.  si  matura:  we  should  have  expected  sin  instead  of  si  to 
introduce  this  second  protasis.  B.  306,  3 ; G.  592. 

25.  sic  . . . vis  aufert : the  emphasis  rests  upon  vis , — so  1 tis 
force  that  takes  life  from  the  young ; adulescentibus  is  dative. 
A.  & G.  229  ; B.  188,  2,  d ; H.  385,  II.  2. 

26.  quae  quidem,  etc.  : grammatically  quae  can  refer  only  to 
maturitas , but  such  is  not  Cicero’s  meaning  ; the  logical  ante- 
cedent is  the  substance  of  the  whole  preceding  sentence ; hence, 
this  thought  is  so  pleasant  to  me. 

27.  quo  propius  accedam : Subjunctive  by  Attraction ; we 
should  have  expected  this  clause  to  be  followed  by  one  containing 
a comparative  with  eo,  corresponding  to  quo  propius. 


108 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


31.  recte  vivitur : i.e.  one  is  justified  in  remaining  alive. 

quoad  possis  : as  long  as  one  can;  the  indefinite  2d  singular 
leads  to  the  use  of  the  subjunctive.  See  note  on  cum  vixeris,  p.  5, 
1.  2. 

munus  offici  exsequi  et  tueri : to  discharge  and  attend  to  the 
performance  of  one's  duty. 

31.  2.  hoc  illud  est,  etc. : this  is  the  significance  of  the  famous 
reply  of  Solon. 

Pisistrato  : tyrant  of  Athens  in  the  sixth  century  b.c.  Plutarch, 
in  his  life  of  Solon,  chap.  31,  says  this  reply  was  made  to  inquir- 
ing friends  ; yet  he  elsewhere  confirms  the  account  here  given. 

3.  illi : i.e.  Pisistratus. 

qua  tandem:  tandem  emphasizes  the  interrogative, — what 
pray  ! 

4.  audaciter  : archaic  for  audacter. 

obsisteret:  Solon’s  opposition  was  directed  against  Pisistra- 
tus’s  usurpation  in  560  b.c. 

5.  4 Senectute  ’ : sc.  fretus  ; Solon  was  seventy-five  years  old 
at  this  time. 

integra  mente  certisque  sensibus : with  the  mind  sound  and 
the  faculties  unimpaired. 

7.  coagmentavit : put  together. 

dissolvit : takes  apart. 

10.  Iam:  now,  continuing  the  argument;  so  below,  1.  22. 

omnis  conglutinatio  recens : lit.  every  construction  when 

fresh,  i.e.  everything  newly  made. 

inveterata  : if  of  long  standing. 

11.  illud  breve  vitae  reliquum  : reliquum  is  here  a substan- 
tive,— an  infrequent  use  of  the  word. 

12.  nec  sine  causa  deserendum  sit:  i.e.  suicide  must  not  be 
resorted  to  except  in  a special  exigency. 

13.  vetatque:  -que  is  here  4 epexegetic,’  i.e.  explanatory  of 
what  has  just  preceded,  — and  so,  and  accordingly. 

14.  praesidio  et  statione : post  and  station. 

15.  elogium  : here  in  the  sense  of  ‘couplet.’  The  Greek  lines 
are : 

Mrjdt  /jlol  dicXavaros  davaros  /ul6\ol , aXXa  0tXot<rt 
KaXXei Ittol/uu  6a voov  dXyea  /cat  <ttov a\ds. 


NOTES 


109 


se  negat  velle : says  he  does  not  wish. 

16.  suam  mortem : suam  is  emphatic  ; these  lines  of  Solon 
were  directed  against  Mimnermus,  a contemporary  elegiac  poet, 
who  had  given  expression  to  a contrary  sentiment. 

17.  Vult,  credo,  se  esse  carum  : the  construction  of  infinitive 
with  subject  accusative  after  volo , nolo , malo , is  less  usual,  if  the 
subjects  of  the  main  and  dependent  verbs  are  the  same  ; but  it  is 
permissible  in  case  of  esse  and  passive  infinitives.  B.  331,  iv.  a. 
Cf.  p.  14,  1.  12,  me  senem  esse  mallem. 

haud  scio  an  melius  Ennius  : I am  inclined  to  think  Ennius 
utters  a better  sentiment ; with  melius  understand  some  such  verb 
as  dicat;  cf.  p.  11,  1.  9,  melius ; 1.  16,  vitiosius.  On  haud  scio  an, 
cf.  note  on  p.  24,  1.  29,  haud  scio  an  nulla  beatior  possit. 

19.  Nemo  me  dacrumis  decoret,  etc. : dacruma  is  an  archaic 
form  of  lacruma.  Notice  the  alliteration  in  dacrumis  decoret,  and 
in  funera  fletu  faxit ; fletu  is  Ablative  of  Attendant  Circumstance. 
B.  221.  faxit  is  an  archaic  form  of  fecerit  (perfect  subjunctive); 
as  subject  supply  in  sense  quisquam  from  nemo.  The  second  line 
is  given  in  full  by  Cicero,  Tusculan  Disputations,  I,  34  : 

Faxit.  Cur?  Yolito  vivos  per  ora  virum. 

‘ Why  f I still  live  and  flit  about  in  the  mouths  of  men.’ 

22.  Iam  : as  above  in  1.  10. 

23.  isque  : -que  is  here  adversative. 

ad  exiguum  tempus : i.e.  only  for  a short  time. 

24.  aut  nullus  est : nullus  here  has  the  force  of  an  emphatic 
non;  est  is  almost  equivalent  to  adest ; hence  is  not  present. 

25.  hoc  meditatum  ab  adulescentia  debet  esse  : this  ( lesson ) 
ought  to  be  rehearsed  by  us  from  youth  up ; meditor  is  to  go  over 
a thing  again  and  again  by  way  of  preparation,  as  a lesson  or  a 
speech  ; hoc  is  explained  by  the  following  ut  mortem  neglegamus , 
i.e.  the  lesson  is  : ‘ disregard  of  death.’  Notice  the  passive  use  of 
the  participle  of  meditor,  like  adeptam,  p.  3,  1.  1 ; dimensa,  p.  26, 
1.  7.  The  tense  of  meditatum  esse  is  also  peculiar  ; we  should  have 
expected  the  present,  but  with  debeo  and  oportet  the  perfect  infini- 
tive occasionally  appears  used  for  the  present.  A.  & G.  288,  d ; 
B.  270,  2,  a. 

26.  sine  qua  meditatione:  a practice  without  which. 


110 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


27.  Moriendum  enim  certe  est:  moriendum  takes  the  em- 
phasis, — for  die  we  surely  must. 

et  incertum  an : and  possibly , lit.  and  it  (is)  uncertain  (whether 
at  some  other  time)  or. 

28.  Mortem  . . . impendentem : as  the  position  shows,  this 
phrase  takes  the  chief  emphasis  of  the  sentence, — with  death  im- 
minent at  all  hours,  how  can  one  who  fears  it  be  of  a tranquil 
heart?  qui  is  the  interrogative  adverb  ; as  subject  of  poterit  an 
indefinite  quis  must  be  supplied  in  thought ; consistere  literally 
means  1 to  stand  firm,’  and  so,  4 to  be  tranquil.’ 

30.  non  ita  longa  : i.e.  not  very  long. 

cum  recorder  : when  I recall ; the  clause,  however,  is  strongly 
causal ; hence  the  subjunctive. 

31.  L.  Brutum : this  and  the  following  accusatives  Decios , 
Atilium,  are  to  be  taken  as  the  subjects  of  some  verb  to  be  supplied 
from  profectas  (esse)  in  1.  10  of  the  following  page. 

in  liberanda  patria : the  Tarquins,  after  their  expulsion,  en- 
deavored to  regain  the  throne ; Brutus,  while  resisting  their 
attempts,  was  killed  in  single  combat  with  Arruns  Tarquinius. 

32.  1.  duos  Decios  : see  note  on  p.  19,  1.  6. 

2.  M.  Atilium  : Marcus  Atilius  Regulus,  the  famous  general  of 
the  First  Punic  War.  The  story  of  his  return  to  Carthage  to  keep 
his  plighted  faith  is  probably  apocryphal. 

4.  duos  Scipiones  : see  p.  13,  1.  3. 

5.  Poenis:  dative  of  reference,  — lit.  to  obstruct  the  way  to  the 
Carthaginians. 

vel : intensive. 

6.  avum  tuum  : this  is  addressed  to  Scipio.  His  grandfather 
by  blood,  L.  Aemilius  Paulus  (father  of  Macedonicus,  conqueror 
of  Perseus),  had  commanded  at  the  disaster  of  Cannae,  216  b.c. 

collegae  : C.  Terentius  Varro. 

7.  M.  Marcellum  : M.  Claudius  Marcellus,  an  eminent  general 
of  the  Second  Punic  War.  He  was  lured  into  ambush  and  slain 
by  the  troops  of  Hannibal  in  208  b.c. 

8.  interitum  : i.e.  his  dead  body. 

crudelissimus  hostis:  Hannibal’s  conduct  never  justified  this 
epithet.  He  was  characterized  rather  by  generosity  and  even 
chivalry. 


NOTES 


111 


10.  in  Originibus  : see  note  on  p.  16,  1.  21. 

13.  indocti : referring  particularly  to  lack  of  training  in  phi- 
losophy. 

rustici  : i.e.  not  merely  devoid  of  the  higher  culture,  but  lacking 
all  training  whatsoever.  The  Roman  army  was  recruited  chiefly 
from  the  country  districts. 

14.  Omnino  : all  in  all. 

16.  studia  certa  : definite  interests , pursuits. 

18.  constans  iam  aetas:  like  iam  constantis  aetatis , p.  14, 
1.  28;  in  the  present  passage  note  that  iam , at  variance  with  the 
usual  practice,  follows  the  word  it  modifies. 

19.  ne  ea  quidem  : i.e.  old  age  does  not  pine  even  for  the 
occupations  of  middle  life,  much  less,  then,  for  those  of  youth  and 
boyhood. 

21.  ergo:  purely  transitional. 

23.  maturum  : best  taken  as  a predicate  modifier  of  tempus,  lit. 
brings  the  time  of  death  ripe , i.e.  makes  the  time  ripe  for  death. 

24.  cur  non  audeam : whig  I should  not  venture ; the  indirect 
question  here  represents  a Deliberative  Subjunctive  of  direct 
discourse. 

26.  quod : relative,  referring  to  quid  ipse  sentiam. 

26.  eo  melius  quo  ab  ea  propius  absum  : the  better,  the  nearer 
I am  to  it;  nearness  from  a thing  is  a favorite  mental  attitude 
with  Latin  writers. 

cernere  : discern ; used  of  clear  vision. 

27.  tuumque,  Laeli : Laelius’s  father  also  bore  the  name 
C.  Laelius  ; he  was  an  intimate  friend  of  the  elder  Africanus. 

31.  munere  quodam  necessitatis:  i.e.  a function  imposed  by 
necessity. 

32.  est  animus  caelestis,  etc. : the  soul  is  from  heaven  ; animus 
is  further  modified  by  the  participle  depressus , ‘lowered.’ 

33.  1.  quasi  demersus : quasi  apologizes  for  the  figure; 
clemergo  ordinarily  applies  to  what  is  sunk  in  water. 

4.  qui  terras  tuerentur : to  care  for , protect , the  earth , lit. 
lands.  Cf.  Cic.  de  Republica,  VI,  15,  15,  homines  hac  lege  sunt 
generati , qui  tuerentur  ilium  globum  quern  in  hoc  templo  medium 
vides , quae  terra  vocatur. 

caelestium : = caelestium  rerum;  of  celestial  things;  on  the 


112 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


rare  substantive  use  of  neuter  adjectives  outside  of  the  nominative 
and  accusative,  cf.  note  on  p.  2,  1.  8. 

6.  ratio,  disputatio : reflection , discussion. 

7.  nobilitas  : reputation. 

8.  Pythagoram : see  note  on  p.  10,  1.  21. 

9.  incolas  paene  nostros  : the  seat  of  the  Pythagorean  school 

was  Crotona  in  southern  Italy. 

qui  essent  nominati : this  clause  seems  to  be  introduced  merely 
as  an  explanation  of  the  speaker,  and  as  such  would  naturally  have 
stood  in  the  indicative.  The  subjunctive  indicates  that  it  is  here 
felt  to  be  a part  of  the  indirect  discourse. 

11.  ex  universa  mente  divina  : i.e.  from  the  world-soul, 
delibatos  : i.e.  souls  which  are  emanations  of  the  world-soul ; 

delibo  literally  means  to  take  a taste  or  a sip  of  something ; then 
figuratively  to  draw , pluck , gather. 

12.  haberemus : in  English  we  should  use  the  present ; but  in 
Latin  even  subordinate  clauses  expressing  general  truths  conform 
to  the  sequence  of  tenses. 

quae  . . . disseruisset : implied  indirect  discourse,  — the  views 
which  Socrates  teas  said  to  have  set  forth.  A.  & G.  341 ; B.  323. 

13.  immortalitate  animorum  : note  the  plural  in  animorum. 

14.  esset  iudicatus : Subjunctive  by  Attraction  ; the  clause  is 
an  integral  part  of  the  clause  on  which  it  depends.  A.  & G.  342  ; 
B.  324,  1 ; G.  508,  4 ; H.  529,  II.  1). 

15.  Quid  multa : sc.  dicam.  Cf.  quid  opus  est  plura , p.  2, 1.  19. 
sic  persuasi  mihi,  sic  sentio  : sic  is  explained  by  what  follows. 

The  arguments  for  the  soul’s  immortality  are  four  in  number: 

(1)  Its  capacity  ( cum  tanta  celeritas , etc.). 

(2)  Its  original  activity  ( cumque  agitetur,  etc.). 

(3)  Its  indivisibility  {cum  simplex  animi  esset  natura , etc.). 

(4)  Its  preexistence  {scire  pier aque  ante  quam.  etc.). 

16.  celeritas:  i.e.  the  rapidity  of  thought. 

17.  memoria  praeteritorum  futurorumque  prudentia:  note 
the  chiastic  arrangement.  On  the  substantive  use  of  praeteritorum 
and  futurorum , see  note  on  caelestium  in  line  4.  Observe  that 
prudentia  here  has  its  primitive  meaning  of  1 foresight.’ 

18.  tot  artes:  such  as  rhetoric , music , geometry , astronomy , 
etc.  ; each  of  these  was  an  ars , — ars  rhetorica , ars  musica , etc. 


NOTES 


118 


tantae  scientiae:  so  many  branches  of  knowledge ; the  plural 
of  scientia  is  extremely  rare,  but  its  occurrence  is  justified  by  the 
neighboring  plurals,  tot  artes , tot  inventa. 

20.  semper  agitetur : is  always  active ; agitetur  has  here  a 
reflexive  or  middle  sense,  — lit.  moves  itself;  cf.  erecta , p.  22,  1.  25. 

21.  quia  se  ipse  moveat:  this  is  said  in  justification  of  the 
previous  statement  nec  principium  motus  habeat , and  does  not 
refer  at  all  to  agitetur. 

ne  finem  quidem,  etc. : no  end  of  motion  either. 

22.  numquam  sit  relicturus : almost  equivalent  to  ‘ can  never 
leave.’ 

23.  cum  simplex  animi  esset : the  previous  dependent  clauses 
(beginning  with  1.  16)  ; cum  sit,  quae  contineat,  cumque  agitetur , 
quia  moveat,  quia  sit  relicturus,  have  all  depended  upon  persuasi 
taken  as  a principal  tense,  but  with  line  23  persuasi  comes  to  be 
felt  as  historical ; hence  the  secondary  sequence  in  esset,  haberet, 
posse,  followed,  however,  by  a return  to  primary  sequence  in  nati 
sint , discant,  etc.  In  English  we  should  render  the  imperfects  of 
this  passage  by  presents. 

simplex:  i.e.  as  opposed  to  composite. 

24.  dispar  atque  dissimile  : for  the  combination  of  synonyms, 
see  note  on  p.  15,  1.  5. 

25.  quod  si  non  posset : and  if  it  (the  soul)  cannot,  i.e.  can- 
not be  divided  ; with  posset  supply  dividi  from  the  preceding  dividi 
posset. 

non  posse  interire : sc.  animum. 

26.  magnoque  esse  argumento  : and  (/  am  convinced,  — per- 
suasi milii ) that  it  is  {for)  a great  argument,  viz.  in  favor  of  the 
immortality  of  the  soul ; the  subject  of  esse  is  homines  scire,  etc.  ; 
i.e.  knowledge  anterior  to  birth  is  a great  argument. 

27.  quod  pueri  iam  discant : this  gives  the  reason,  not  for 
men’s  foreknowledge,  but  for  our  feeling  assured  of  such  fore- 
knowledge. The  force  of  the  clause  may  best  be  seen  in  the  follow- 
ing free  paraphrase  of  the  whole  passage,  beginning  with  magnoque 
argumento  : ‘ and  I am  convinced  that  a strong  argument  in  favor 
of  immortality  is  furnished  by  the  fact  that  men  know  many  things 
before  they  are  born, — and  that  they  do  is  clear,  because  children, 
when  they  are  learning  difficult  subjects,  lay  hold  of  innumerable 


114 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


things  so  rapidly  that  they  seem  not  to  be  learning  them  then  for 
the  first  time,  but  to  be  remembering  and  recalling  them.’ 

30.  haec  Platonis  fere : these  are  substantially  ( the  arguments) 
of  Plato  ; they  are  taken  chiefly  from  Plato’s  Phaedo  and  Phaedrus. 

31.  autem : again;  used  to  introduce  other  arguments  in  sup- 
port of  the  soul’s  immortality. 

32.  Cyrus  maior : Cyrus  the  Elder  ; see  note  on  p.  13,  1.  11. 

haec  dicit:  the  passage  is  in  the  Cyropaedia,  VIII,  7,  17. 

Though  attributed  to  Cyrus,  these  views  are  really  Xenophon’s, 
and  were  gathered  by  him  from  the  teachings  of  Socrates,  like 
those  of  Plato  above  enumerated. 

34.  2.  nullum  : non-existent ; cf.  nullus , p.  31,  1.  24. 

4.  Eundem  esse  : that  it  still  exists. 

5.  creditote  : for  the  use  of  the  future  tense  here,  cf.  attribuito , 

p.  2,  1.  17. 

nullum  : here  equivalent  to  non.  9 

Nec  clarorum  virorum  post  mortem  honores  permanerent: 

i.e.  the  souls  of  great  men  after  death  consciously  endeavor  to 
keep  alive  their  fame  among  posterity  ; only  so,  it  is  urged,  can  we 
account  for  the  perpetuation  of  their  glory. 

7.  quo  teneremus : we  should  have  expected  ut  teneremus , ut 
being  the  regular  particle  to  introduce  a substantive  clause  after 
efficio ; quo , however,  occurs  occasionally  for  ut  when  the  substan- 
tive clause  contains  a comparative,  as  here.  Cf.  Pliny,  Epistles, 
VI,  19,  quo  sint  plura  venalia  efficiunt.  The  usage  is  doubtless 
influenced  by  the  employment  of  quo  for  ut  in  clauses  of  pure 
purpose  which  contain  a comparative. 

8.  Mihi  quidem  numquam  persuaderi  potuit:  I at  least 
could  never  be  convinced , lit.  it  could  never  be  convinced  to  me. 

9.  dum  essent,  cum  excessissent,  cum  evasisset,  cum 
coepisset : in  Latin  all  these  clauses,  following  the  principle  for 
the  ‘sequence  of  tenses,’  stand  in  the  imperfect  and  pluperfect, 
since  vivere , taking  its  time  from  potuit,  is  historical;  in  English 
we  should  use  the  present  and  perfect,  viz.  while  they  are,  when 
they  have  departed,  when  it  has  gone  out,  when  it  has  begun. 
Similarly  we  should  render  vivere,  emori,  etc.,  by  the  present,  — 
live,  die,  etc.  Note  the  adversative  asyndeton  in  vivere,  emori,  — 
live  while  they  are  in  the  body,  but  die  when  they  have  departed. 


NOTES 


115 


10.  insipientem  : without  consciousness. 

13.  turn  esse  sapientem : is  then  really  conscious ; esse  de- 
pends upon  mild  persuasum  est  to  be  supplied  in  thought  from  mild 
numquam  persuaderi  potuit. 

14.  ceterarum  rerum:  dependent  upon  quaeque ; ceterarum 
means  1 the  rest  ’ as  opposed  to  animus ; for  this  proleptic  use  of 
ceteri , cf.  ceteris , p.  2,  1.  8. 

18.  Atqui : now. 

22.  colitote : venerate. 

24.  hanc  omnem  pulchritudinem : i.e.  all  this  beautiful 

universe. 

26.  servabitis : the  future  indicative,  as  often,  has  here  the 
force  of  an  imperative. 

27.  nostra:  i.e.  views  of  our  own  countrymen  as  opposed  to 
those  of  a foreigner  like  Cyrus. 

31.  multos  : here  as  elsewhere  for  multos  alios. 

32.  tanta  esse  conatos  : would  have  attempted  so  great  enter - 
prises;  we  should  have  expected  conaturos  fuisse , since  the  in- 
finitive represents  the  apodosis  of  a condition  contrary-to-fact  in 
indir.  disc.  A.  & G.  337,  6,  2 ; B.  321,2,  a ; G.  597,  R.  4 ; H.  527,  III. 

quae  . . . pertinerent : the  clause  expresses  purpose,  — to  have 
to  do  with  the  memory  of  posterity , i.e.  deeds  which  they  intended 
should  have  to  do  with  posterity. 

35.  1.  nisi  cernerent : had  they  not  discerned;  in  conditions 
contrary-to-fact,  the  imperfect  subjunctive  is  used  in  preference  to 
the  pluperfect,  to  denote  a continued  action  belonging  to  past  time. 
A.  & G.  308,  a ; B.  304,  2 ; G.  597,  R.  1 ; H.  510,  N.  2.  The  same 
thought  occurs  also  in  Cicero’s  oration  for  Archias,  § 28  f. 

2.  An  censes:  you  don't  think , do  you.  When  by  the  ellipsis 
of  the  first  member  of  a double  question  an  stands  alone,  its  force 
must  be  determined  from  the  context ; here  an  = num  ; p.  7,  1.  28, 
it  was  equivalent  to  nonne.  B.  162,  4,  a. 

ut  aliquid  glorier : to  boast  a bit ; cf.  idem  gloriari,  p. 
14,  1.  1. 

4.  si  essem  terminaturus : Cato  really  means  si  credidissem 

me  terminaturum  esse. 

6.  otiosam  : see  note  on  otiosa , p.  21,  1.  18. 

8.  nescio  quo  modo : somehow. 


116 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


9.  ita  : correlative  with  the  following  quasi , as  p.  6,  1.  18. 

cum  excessisset:  the  subjunctive  is  purely  the  result  of 
attraction. 

10.  victurus  esset : i.e.  truly  live.  Cf.  p.  32,  28. 

quod  ni  ita  se  haberet : unless  it  were  so ; quod  is  further  ex- 
plained by  the  appositional  clause  ut  . . . essent;  on  ni  see  note 
on  p.  29,  1.  10. 

11.  ut  animi  immortales  essent:  that  souls  are  immortal ; for 
the  imperfect,  see  note  on  p.  18,  1.  13,  possemus. 

12.  haud  niteretur  and  haud  retraxerint  (line  22,  below) : in 
his  orations,  Cicero  confines  the  use  of  haud  to  adjectives,  adverbs, 
and  the  verb  scio ; in  the  philosophical  writings  it  occurs  with 
other  verbs,  as  here. 

optimi  cuiusque  animus  : the  souls  of  all  the  best  men , lit.  the 
soul  of  each  best  man. 

maxime  niteretur : i.e.  strive  in  proportion  to  their  strength  of 
character,  hence  the  best  men  the  most  earnestly. 

immortalitatem  et  gloriam  : hendiadys. 

13.  Quid,  quod:  what  of  the  fact  that  ? 

15.  iniquissimo : sc.  animo  ; with  the  greatest  reluctance. 

qui  plus  cernat  et  longius : which  sees  deeper  and  farther ; 
for  the  force  of  plus , cf.  note  on  p.  5,  1.  26. 

17.  illeautem  : i.e.  ill e animus. 

non  videre  : to  fail  to  see. 

18.  efferor : I am  carried  away. 

19.  aveo : used  of  intense  and  eager  longing ; cf.  avidus. 

20.  cognovi : I have  known. 

21.  quo  quidem,  etc.  : and  ivhen  I set  out  for  them ; quo  here 
= ad  quos , just  as  unde  often  = a quibus , a quo. 

22.  retraxerit,  recoxerit : Potential  Subjunctive,  but  differing 
only  slightly  in  force  from  a future  indicative. 

tamquam  Peliam  recoxerit : boil  me  back  to  life  again  like 
Pelias.  Cicero  seems  to  have  confounded  Pelias  with  Aeson  ; it 
was  the  latter  whom  Medea  restored  to  life  by  boiling. 

23.  ex  hac  aetate : at  (lit.  from)  my  present  time  of  life. 

24.  repuerascam  : only  here  apparently  in  this  sense ; the 
clause  ut  repuerascam  is  the  object  of  largiatur. 

25.  quasi  decurso  spatio  ad  carceres  a calce  revocari : 


NOTES 


117 


quasi  modifies  the  entire  expression,  — after  finishing  the  course 
to  be  recalled  from  the  goal  to  the  starting-point , so  to  speak. 
The  comparison  is  borrowed  from  the  race-course  ; carceres 
were  the  stalls  at  the  end  of  the  course,  from  which  the  chariots 
started  ; the  calx  (lit.  lime ) was  a chalk-line  marking  the  limit  of 
the  race. 

quid  laboris  : sc.  habet. 

27.  Sed  habeat  sane  : but  grant  that  it  really  has  ( advan- 
tages); habeat  is  a Jussive  Subjunctive  with  concessive  force. 

A.  & G.  266,  c ; B.  278  ; G.  264  ; H.  484,  III. 

29.  et  ei  docti : and  those , too,  philosophers. 

36.  1.  Commorandi,  non  habitandi : for  tarrying  at,  not  for 
dwelling  in  ; a peculiar  use  of  the  genitive  of  the  gerund  to  denote 
purpose. 

6.  ad  Catonem  meum  : i.e.  his  son,  mentioned  p.  8,  1.  1. 

nemo  vir  : a stronger  nemo ; sometimes  we  find  nemo  homo. 

8.  quod  contra,  etc.  : whereas  on  the  contrary  mine  ought  to 
have  been  burned  by  him ; quod  is  governed  by  contra,  lit.  opposite 
to  which ; on  the  anastrophe  of  the  preposition  see  A.  & G.  263,  N. ; 

B.  144,  3;  H.  569,  II.  1.  See  Critical  Appendix. 

9.  meum  : i.e.  meum  corpus  cremari. 

animus  : i.e.  the  soul  of  his  son. 

10.  quo  : = ad  quae,  as  above,  p.  35,  1.  21. 

mihi  ipsi  esse  veniendum  : that  I myself  must  come. 

12.  non  quo  aequo  animo  ferrem  : not  that  I bore  it  with 
resignation.  A.  & G.  321,  R.  ; B.  286,  1,  b ; G.  511,  N.  2 ; H.  516,  2. 

14.  digressum  et  discessum : parting  and  separation ; the 
synonyms  as  p.  15,  1.  5. 

His  rebus  : emphatic  by  position,  — these  are  the  things  whereby 
old  age  is  easy  to  me. 

15.  id:  emphatic , — for  'turns  that  you  said  you  wondered  at; 
id  anticipates  levis  est  senectus. 

17.  in  hoc:  explained  by  the  following  gwi-clause, — in  this , 
viz.  that  I believe  the  souls  of  men  to  be  immortal. 

18.  mihi : Dative  of  Separation. 

20.  mortuus  : when  dead. 

ut  censent:  modifying  nihil  sentiam. 

quidam  minuti  philosophi : certain  petty  philosophers ; the 


118 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


reference  is  to  the  Epicureans,  who  denied  the  immortality  of  the 
soul. 

nihil  sentiam : i.e.  have  no  consciousness. 

21.  philosophi  mortui  irrideant : they  will  be  unable  to  scoff 
if  death  brings  annihilation,  for  they  too  will  be  annihilated. 

25.  peractio  tamquam  fabulae : the  last  act  of  a play , so  to 
speak  ; peractio  is  found  only  here. 

28.  Haec  habui  quae  dicer em  : this  was  what  I had  to  say  on 
old  age ; haec  is  emphatic  ; quae  dicerem  is  a clause  of  purpose. 

29.  re  experti : by  actual  experience , lit.  experiencing  it  in  fact; 
re  is  opposed  to  quae  audivistis. 


CRITICAL  APPENDIX 


The  best  critical  edition  of  the  de  Senectute  is  that  by  C.  F.  W. 
Muller  in  the  Teubner  edition  of  Cicero’s  Works.  Leipsic,  1879. 
Miiller’s  edition  was  based  upon  the  following  Mss.  : 

Leidensis  (L),  at  Leyden. 

Parisinus  (P),  at  Paris. 

3 Monacenses  (BIS),  at  Munich. 

Erfurtensis  (E),  at  Erfurt. 

Bernensis  (N),  at  Berne. 

2 Rhenaugienses  (RQ),  at  Rheinau. 

Since  the  publication  of  Muller’s  edition  the  following  new 
manuscript  material  has  become  available : 

2 Leidenses  (Y,  v). 

Ashburnhamensis  (Ashb). 

Harleianus  2682  (H). 

Bruxellensis  (Br),  along  with  some  others  of  less  importance. 
Dahl  has  also  published  a new  recension  of  P and  some  of  the 
inferior  Paris  Mss. 

L and  P are  traditionally  regarded  as  the  best  Mss.,  so  much 
so  that  their  agreement  has  been  thought  to  indicate  the  true  read- 
ing with  great  certainty.  But  they  repeatedly  agree  in  readings 
demonstrably  false,  and  the  whole  subject  of  the  relative  impor- 
tance of  PL  as  compared  with  other  Mss.,  as  well  as  of  the  rela- 
tion of  the  Mss.  to  each  other,  is  one  that  still  awaits  satisfactory 
settlement. 

1.  1.  te:1  te  is  supported  by  scant  Ms.  authority,  most  Mss. 
reading  ego.  Reid  thinks  Cicero  wrote  ego  and  that  te  crept  into 


1 This  appendix  is  devoted  chiefly  to  a discussion  of  the  passages 
(some  fifty  in  number)  where  I have  deviated  from  the  text  of  Muller  ; 
also  to  a consideration  of  passages  whose  interpretation  is  disputed. 

119 


120 


CATO  MAIOR  I)E  SENECTUTE 


the  few  Mss.  having  that  reading  from  the  te  of  line  2,  immedi- 
ately below.  But  ego,  if  read  here,  would  necessarily  be  emphatic, 
and  an  emphatic  ego  is  distinctly  out  of  place  in  this  passage.  I 
have  consequently  preferred  te,  at  variance  with  nearly  all  recent 
editors.  It  is  not  impossible  that  quid  te  became  quit  te,  and  this 
again,  by  haplography,  quit  e,  which  was  interpreted  as  quit  (i.e. 
quid')  ego ; or  ego  may  have  been  the  arbitrary  alteration  of  some 
copyist  who  failed  to  see  the  construction  of  te. 

17.  me  ipsum  : me  etiam  ipsum  is  the  reading  of  L and  is 
adopted  by  Sommerbrodt,  Muller,  and  most  subsequent  editors  ; 
but  the  locution  et  ...  et  etiam  is  an  extremely  unusual  one. 
Merguet,  in  his  Lexikon  zu  den  Phil.  Schriften  des  Cicero,  I,  p.  860 
b,  cites  three  instances,  but  none  of  them  is  at  all  parallel  to  the 
present  passage.  The  two  instances  of  et  ...  et  etiam  occurring 
in  the  Speeches,  pro  Plancio,  91,  and  pro  Murena,  45,  are  also 
quite  different. 

2.  6.  laudari  satis  digne : the  reading  of  most  Mss. ; LE 
have  digne  satis  laudari,  a reading  adopted  by  Sommerbrodt  and 
Muller.  But  in  Cicero’s  Speeches  and  Philosophical  Works, 
according  to  Merguet’s  Lexika,  no  instance  occurs  where  satis  is 
postponed  after  adjectives  or  adverbs.  Verr.  I,  82  we  find  satis 
digne  per sequi ; post  red.  in  Sen.  19  satis  digne  loquetur. 

11.  Ceus  : this  was  the  Ciceronian  orthography.  Cius  belongs 
to  the  time  of  the  Empire.  See  Georges  Lexikon  der  lat.  Wort- 
formen,  s.v.  Similarly  Cicero  wrote  Antiochea , Alexandria. 

31.  potest  malum  videri : this  is  the  reading  of  most  Mss. ; L 
has  malum  potest  videri,  followed  by  Muller.  But  this  violates 
Cicero’s  diction : with  potest  videri  a predicate  adjective  always 
stands  immediately  before  videri. 

3.  1.  adeptam : the  Mss.  vary  between  adepti  and  adeptam. 
I have  adopted  adeptam  as  the  difficilior  lectio. 

9.  nulla  consolatione : most  Mss.  read  consolatio ; but  con - 
solatione  has  the  support  of  El,  and  is  demanded  by  the  sense. 

15.  discriptae  : the  Mss.  waver  between  discriptae  and  descrip - 
tae.  Reid  prefers  descriptam  in  the  sense  of  4 written  out,’  ‘ worked 
out  ’ ; but  actum  fabulae  describere , so  far  as  I am  able  to  discover, 
could  mean  only  1 to  transcribe  (from  a copy).’ 

20.  Quid  est  enim,  etc. : the  favorite  interpretation  of  this  pas- 


CRITICAL  APPENDIX 


121 


sage  is : 4 For  wliat  is  waging  war  with  the  Gods  after  the  manner 
of  the  Giants,  if  rebellion  against  Nature  is  not.’  It  is  perfectly 
true  that  the  Latin  might  mean  that ; but  there  is  nothing  to 
restrict  us  to  that  view.  To  me  the  interpretation  given  in  the 
commentary  seems  the  more  natural.  After  defending  it  with 
classes  for  some  years,  I have  recently  discovered  that  it  was 
advocated  by  Nauck  nearly  half  a century  ago. 

4.  28.  esses : this  is  the  reading  of  all  Mss.  but  LE.  Reid 
objects  to  esses  on  the  ground  that  the  quick  succession  of  fuissem, 
esses,  fuisses  is  un-Ciceronian.  This  is  doubtless  true  ; but  I am 
inclined  to  think  that  perspicuity  demands  esses,  and  this  consider- 
ation would  have  been  paramount  with  Cicero. 

5.  25.  Noenum  : noenum  (Lachmann’s  conjecture  for  non  enim 
of  the  Mss.)  is  commonly  explained  as  the  original  of  non;  but 
such  an  etymology  is  phonetically  difficult ; noenum  would  have 
become  nunum  (just  as  early  Latin  oitilis  became  utilis ),  but  not 
nonum,  non.  Scholars  now  explain  non  as  consisting  of  no  (a  by- 
form of  ne)  + the  asseverative  - ne , seen  for  example  in  Plautus  in 
Tune,  4 yes,  you.’ 

26.  plusque : Bernays’  conjecture  for  postque  of  the  Mss. 
Many  editors  retain  postque  and  interpret  4 both  afterwards  and 
more  especially  now’  ; but  this  does  violence  to  the  language. 
Such  an  idea,  moreover,  would  have  been  extremely  unnatural. 

29.  fuerat  in  arce  : most  Mss.  read  fugerat  in  arce , except  that 
L and  Br  have  fuerat  and  V has  fuerat.  Of  recent  editors, 
Anz,  Kornitzer,  Schiche,  Sommerbrodt,  all  write  fuerat  in  arce. 
Muller  and  others  read  fugerat  in  arcem,  but  in  arcem  fugere 
seems  a strange  expression  for  withdrawing  from  the  walls  of  a 
town  to  the  citadel. 

6.  21.  Quorsus  : the  reading  of  all  Mss.  but  L. 

26.  quiete  et  pure  atque  eleganter : Reid’s  note  on  the  use 
of  connectives  in  this  passage  has  been  widely  copied  by  subse- 
quent editors.  Reid  maintains  that  in  enumerations  of  the  form 
A + (Z?i  4-  Bf)  the  + outside  the  bracket  is  expressed  by  et,  the  -f 
inside  by  atque  (cic).  But  the  instances  of  et  . . . atque  cited  by 
Merguet,  Lexikon  zu  den  philosophischen  Schriften,  fail  in  a num- 
ber of  cases  to  support  this  view. 

30.  quarto  et  nonagesimo  : Reid  writes  quarto  nonagesimo. 


122 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


stating  that  et  is  omitted  by  Cicero  in  expressions  of  this  kind 
when  the  smaller  number  precedes,  except  when  it  is  unus.  Yet 
Reid  himself  reads  tertius  et  tricesimus  in  de  Sen.  19,  and  quartum 
et  octogesimum,  de  Sen.  32,  and  Merguet’s  Lexika  show  that  et  is 
never  omitted  by  Cicero  in  the  Orations  in  expressions  of  this  type, 
and  only  once  in  the  Philosophical  Works,  viz.  de  Officiis,  II,  29, 
sexto  tricesimo , and  here  it  is  so  likely  that  et  should  have  fallen 
out  between  -o  and  t-,  that,  in  view  of  Cicero’s  prevailing  usage, 
I should  unhesitatingly  write  sexto  et  tricesimo  for  that  passage. 

7.  12.  undevicesimo : Muller  writes  undevicensimo  on  the 
authority  of  L alone. 

16.  suasi : the  Mss.  read  suasissem,  except  P and  H 2682.  Of 
these  H 2682  has  suasisset  and  P seems  originally  to  have  had 
the  same  reading,  the  final  m being  plainly  a correction  of  some 
other  letter.  Now  the  reading  suasisset  points  clearly  to  an  earlier 
suasi.  set , i.e.  suasi.  Sed.  (Final  d often  appears  as  t in  Mss.) 
The  indicative  is  the  natural  construction  here.  Hale,  Cum- Con- 
structions, p.  189,  felt  the  difficulties  of  suasissem , though  he 
defends  it. 

23.  omnibus  fere  : Muller,  with  most  Mss.,  reads  fere  omnibus  ; 
PE  have  omnibus  fere.  The  latter  is  probably  the  true  reading,  as 
shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  twenty  or  more  instances  in  Cicero’s 
Orations  and  Philosophical  Works,  in  which  omnis  limiting  a sub- 
stantive is  modified  by  fere , fere  invariably  follows.  See  the 
Merguet  Lexika. 

8.  17.  similesque  sunt  ut  si  qui : to  the  similar  uses  cited  by 
other  editors,  I would  add  Plautus,  Cistellaria,  472,  Simile  est  ius 
iurandum  amantum  quasi  ius  confusicium. 

21.  Non  facit  ea,  etc. : most  Mss.  read  in  puppi , non  facial  ea , 
quae  iuvenes , at  ..  . faciat.  But  Y has  non  facit , while  vS 
have  meliora  facit.  Assuming  that  Cicero  wrote  facit  . . . facit , 
it  is  easy  to  see  how  the  former  facit  could  have  been  changed  to 
the  subjunctive  by  some  copyist  who  imagined  the  clause  to  be  a 
continuation  of  the  previous  subjunctive  clauses.  The  second 
facit , standing  immediately  under  the  first,  might  then  easily  have 
become  corrupted  to  faciat.  Muller  reads  faciat  . . . faciat , and 
expresses  amazement  at  the  attitude  of  recent  editors,  most  of 
whom  read  facit  in  one  or  both  places.  Muller  evidently  takes 


CRITICAL  APPENDIX 


123 


iuvenes  as  referring  to  the  crew,  but  nothing  has  been  said  to  indi- 
cate that  the  gubernator  was  a senex,  whereas  the  point  of  the 
whole  passage  is  to  assert  (what  has  just  been  denied  in  the  words : 
in  re  gerenda  versari  senectutem  negant)  that  old  age  (the  antith- 
esis of  iuvenes ) does  do  something. 

24.  quibus  non  modo  non  orbari,  sed  etiam  augeri  senectus 
solet : with  augeri  some  editors  take  quibus  as  Ablative  of  Means  ; 
augere,  in  the  sense  of  4 endow,’  4 make  great,’  may  take  an  Ablative 
of  Means,  but  here  the  notion  is  4 to  be  increased,  made  greater,’  so 
that  the  Ablative  seems  rather  one  of  Specification. 

29.  et  quo  modo  ; Karthagini,  etc. : Muller  marks  a lacuna 
after  quo  modo  ; I share  his  suspicion  that  the  text  is  corrupt ; but 
feeling  the  need  of  a reading  which  shall  make  sense  for  the  ordi- 
nary student,  I have  printed  the  common  restoration  of  the  pas- 
sage. 

9.  1.  excisam  : Halm,  followed  by  Reid,  would  read  exscisam 
(from  exscindo ),  on  the  ground  that  exscindo  is  the  proper  word 
for  ‘razing’  a city;  but  unanimous  testimony  in  a number  of 
instances  shows  that  excido  as  well  as  exscindo  is  used  in  this 
sense. 

19.  Sic  enim  percontantur  in  Naevi  poetae  Lupo : Muller 

reads  Sic  enim  percontantur  t ut  est  in  Naevi  poetae  Ludo.  I 
have  arbitrarily  omitted  ut  est  of  the  Mss.  for  the  sake  of  making 
a readable  text.  No  plausible  emendation  has  yet  been  offered. 
In  reading  Lupo  for  the  Ms.  Ludo , I have  followed  Ribbeck’s  con- 
jecture. Ludo  admits  of  no  satisfactory  interpretation.  It  can 
hardly  mean  4 school  ’ ; nor  does  it  seem  natural  to  take  it  as  4 The 
Lydian’  ( Avdos ),  since  none  of  the  numerous  titles  of  Naevius’s 
plays  shows  that  he  employed  national  names  to  designate  his  pieces. 
Least  of  all  can  ludus  be  taken  in  the  general  sense  of  ‘play’ 
(fabula).  The  elevated  style  of  the  two  lines  quoted  suggests  that 
they  are  from  one  of  Naevius’s  praetextae.  Ribbeck  accordingly 
proposed  to  read  Lupo  here.  In  the  Festschrift  zum  siebzigsten 
Geburtstage  Otto  Schade  dargebracht  (Kdnigsberg,  1896),  p.  399  ff., 
Hermann  Reich,  in  assigning  the  two  lines  to  the  Alimonia  Remi  et 
Romuli,  is  in  complete  agreement  with  Ribbeck,  if  we  only  assume 
with  Schanz  (Romische  Literaturgeschichte,  I,  p.  32)  that  the  Lupus 
&nd  Alimonia  Remi  et  Romuli  were  one  and  the  same  praetexta. 


124 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


The  title  Lupus  (for  lupa ) may  have  been  chosen  by  Naevius  in 
consequence  of  the  ambiguity  of  the  feminine  form  ( lupa  ‘ har- 
lot’). 

21.  stulti,  adulescentuli : this  punctuation  is  Meissner’s.  See 
Commentary. 

10.  4.  Quid  iuris  consulti,  etc.  : Muller  punctuates  Quid  ? 
iuris  consulti , etc.  I have  followed  Reid. 

19.  num  Hesiodum : Muller  omits  nwm,  though  the  word  is 
found  in  all  Mss.  1 follow  most  recent  editors  (Sommerbrodt, 
Schiche,  Anz,  Kornitzer)  in  retaining  it. 

11.  18.  alteri : alteri  is  commonly  taken  as  meaning  ‘one’s 
neighbor,’  a well-recognized  usage,  but  hardly  appropriate  in  this 
connection.  As  shown  by  the  following  context  ( Iucundum  potius 
quam  odiosum.  Ut  enim  adulescentibus  sapientes  senes  delectantur 
. . . sic  adulescentes  senum  praeceptis  gaudent ),  Cato  is  rebutting 
the  charge  that  old  men  are  disagreeable  to  young  men.  I have, 
therefore,  taken  alteri  as  for  alteri  aetati.  This  is  made  grammati- 
cally easy,  owing  to  the  presence  of  ea  aetate  at  the  beginning  of 
the  same  line. 

12.  2.  sic  avide : many  editors  take  sic  as  correlative  with 
the  following  quasi ; but  this  is  awkward;  sic  for  tam  occurs 
repeatedly  in  Cicero,  and  it  is  unnatural  to  dissociate  sic  avide; 
the  two  words  would  inevitably  be  felt  as  belonging  together. 

8.  Nec  nunc  quidem  : it  is  not  necessary  here  to  take  Nec  . . . 
quidem  as  used  for  et  ne  . . . quidem,  as  Lalimeyer  and  Sommer- 
brodt do.  In  fact,  it  is  questionable  whether  nec  . . . quidem 
could  properly  be  so  taken  ; the  expression  is  extremely  rare,  and 
in  the  few  instances  cited  seems  to  differ  little  from  an  emphatic  nec. 

11.  agas : so  Muller  and  the  Mss.  Reid  reads  agis.  He 
argues  that  (1)  the  subjunctive  does  not  occur  in  Cicero  after 
quisquis , quicunque,  and  the  like,  unless  in  oratio  obliqua  or  by 
attraction  of  the  indicative  into  the  mood  of  a neighboring  sub- 
junctive. (2)  After  quod  est,  agas  would  be  doubly  peculiar. 
But  I can  see  no  difference  between  the  present  passage  and  Tusc. 
Disp.  I,  14,  quasi  non  necesse  sit  quicquid  reticeas  id  aut  esse  aut 
non  esse.  Here  quicquid  reticeas  is  not  in  oratio  obliqua,  nor  does 
it  depend  upon  another  subjunctive.  Cf.  also  de  Off.  Ill,  13,  57, 
Neque  enim  id  est  celare,  quicquid  reticeas , In  all  these  cases  I 


CRITICAL  APPENDIX 


125 


should  attribute  the  employment  of  the  subjunctive  to  the  indefi- 
nite 2d  singular.  Hence  Quod  est,  but  quicquid  agas. 

28.  persaepe  ipsa  : this  is  the  reading  of  all  Mss.  but  L,  which 
has  per  se  ipsa , adopted  by  Muller.  I have  written  persaepe,  not 
only  because  it  seems  to  me  to  make  much  better  sense,  but 
because  it  is  palaeograpliically  easier  to  explain  per  se  ipsa  of  L 
from  the  correct  reading  persaepe  ipsa  (in  Mss.  often  persepe  ipsa ) 
than  vice  versa. 

13.  1.  relinquimus:  this  is  the  reading  of  most  Mss.  L alone 
has  relinquemus.  I see  no  reason  for  adopting  this  with  Muller, 
especially  as  relinquimus  gives  a more  vivid  sense. 

8.  ista  ipsa : most  Mss.  have  this ; LP  have  ipsa  ista , adopted 
by  Muller.  But  even  the  consensus  of  two  such  Mss.  as  L and 
P does  not  warrant  us  in  running  counter  to  Ciceronian  usage. 
In  some  thirty-three  cases  in  the  Orations  and  Philosophical  Works 
where  ipse  and  isle  are  combined  the  order  is  invariably  iste  ipse , 
never  ipse  iste  ; so  regularly  ea  ipsa , haec  ipsa , etc. 

15.  8.  Ne  sint : only  R has  this,  P has  ne  desint , E nec 
desint.  Other  Mss.  read  Non  sunt , adopted  by  Muller  and  most 
recent  editors.  However,  the  use  of  Non  sunt  here  in  the  sense 
demanded  by  the  context,  viz.  ‘ Granted  that  there  is  not  strength 
in  old  age,’  seems  to  me  unparalleled.  Hence  I write  Ne  sint. 

21.  si  sunt:  the  Mss.  are  divided;  LPER  read  sint;  BISVv 
have  sunt.  Muller  reads  sint.  But  sunt  seems  to  make  slightly 
better  sense. 

24.  morbum  : this  is  the  reading  of  all  Mss.  but  L ; L reads 
morborum  vim , followed  by  Muller. 

17.  4.  viventi : it  is  common  to  insist  that  viventi  does  not 
limit  intellegitur  directly  as  a Dative  of  Agency  ; but  while  that 
construction  certainly  is  not  frequent  with  the  uncompounded 
tenses  of  the  passive,  yet  indubitable  instances  do  occur,  and  I see 
no  difficulty  in  recognizing  this  as  one  of  them.  Certainly  to  take 
viventi  as  governed  by  obrepat  rather  than  intellegitur  is  to  mis- 
conceive the  force  of  the  passage,  as  well  as  the  significance  of  the 
Latin  word-order. 

19.  30.  Magnae  Matris : in  the  Mss.  these  words  follow  sacris 
Idaeis.  With  Sommerbrodt,  Anz,  and  Ivornitzer,  I adopt  Brieger’s 
transposition. 


126 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


21.  18.  Exerceri  videbamus : exerceri  is  my  own  suggestion 
for  mori  of  the  Mss.,  which  1 agree  with  Miiller  in  regarding  as 
corrupt,  although  Kornitzer  and  others  defend  it. 

19.  Galium  : the  reading  of  all  Mss.  except  P,  which  has  Galum, 
followed  by  Muller. 

22.  6.  comparandae : the  commentators  quite  generally  as- 
sume that  this  is  to  be  taken  in  the  sense  of  ‘ can  be  compared  ’ ; 
but  there  is  no  difficulty  in  taking  it  in  the  regular  sense  of  ‘ de- 
serve to  be  compared.’ 

16.  recusat  imperium  : it  is  perhaps  doubtful  whether  imperium 
can  have  the  technical  mercantile  sense  suggested  in  the  notes,  but 
the  preceding  and  following  phrases  are  clearly  technical  mercan- 
tile expressions,  and  it  seems  to  me  probable  that  this  also  is. 
After  taking  this  view  of  the  passage  for  some  years  I discovered 
that  Dr.  Peabody  in  his  English  translation  puts  the  same  inter- 
pretation upon  it.  Lunak,  Philologus,  52,  p.  347,  proposes  im- 
pendium  recusat , a conjecture  originally  made  by  Paulus  Manutius 
and  which  has  never  found  favor.  Lunak  cites  ad  Att.  V,  1.  4, 
recusat  impendium  etfaenus. 

26.  e quibus  : this  is  the  reading  of  all  Mss.  except  L,  which 
has  ex,  adopted  by  Muller. 

31.  requietem : the  reading  of  all  Mss.  except  L,  which  has 
requiem , adopted  by  Muller.  But.  except  in  pro  Archia  13,  Cicero 
seems  to  have  regularly  written  requietem . 

23.  12.  tamquam  ad  articulos : Egbert  urges  that  tamquam 
is  unnecessary  here,  articulus  being  the  regular  word  for  the  knots 
or  joints  in  a cutting.  But  articulus  does  not  occur  prior  to 
Cicero,  nor  in  any  writer  after  him  until  the  elder  Pliny. 

15.  dein:  practically  all  Mss.  (LPVv  with  others)  read  this. 
Muller  reads  deinde,  apparently  under  the  impression  that  L had 
that. 

24.  6.  ea : this  is  the  reading  of  all  Mss.  except  L ; L has 
haec , adopted  by  Muller. 

9.  Ergo  : Several  editors,  I observe,  explain  ergo  as  meaning 
‘for  this  purpose,’  ‘with  this  object  in  view,’  viz.  the  enjoyment 
of  the  delights  of  farming ; but  I know  no  such  meaning  for  ergo; 
here  it  seems  to  be  used,  as  so  frequently,  merely  to  resume  an 
interrupted  train  of  thought. 


CRITICAL  APPENDIX 


127 


13.  a mea : the  Mss.  read  me,  followed  by  Muller ; mea  is 
Mahly’s  conjecture,  which  Muller  pronounces  probable,  though 
not  necessary.  I have  written  mea  because  I cannot  find  any 
warrant  for  the  use  of  the  personal  pronoun  in  the  sense  here 
demanded.  The  examples  usually  cited  from  Terence  in  support 
of  me  seem  to  me  of  a different  nature  ; mea  admirari , moreover, 
would  easily  have  become  me  admirari.  Of  recent  editors,  Meiss- 
ner, Anz,  Kornitzer,  Schiche  read  mea. 

31.  quam:  the  Mss.  have  qua;  most  editors  take  this  as  for 
qua , i.e.  quam  (cf.  p.  23,  1.  22,  quam  dixi ),  but  Muller  writes  de 
qua.  One  of  the  inferior  Paris  Mss.  collated  by  Dahl  has  quam. 

25.  20.  ut  lubebit : the  Mss.  as  a rule  read  utrum , adopted  by 
Muller  and  almost  all  recent  editors.  I quite  agree  with  Reid, 
however,  that  utrum  here  cannot  be  construed  without  violating 
recognized  usage  ; ut  has  no  Ms.  authority,  but,  according  to  Otto, 
is  read  in  several  of  the  early  printed  editions. 

26.  3.  directos : this  is  the  Ms.  reading,  and  in  the  sense  of 
‘ arrange  ’ is  preferable  to  derectos.  Muller  writes  derectos  on  the 
authority  of  Nonius. 

13.  virtuti  tuae : with  the  exception  of  Nauck,  the  editors  seem 
to  me  to  misinterpret  Cicero’s  meaning.  The  position  of  the  words 
clearly  shows  that  the  stress  is  upon  virtuti  tuae  ; had  the  empha- 
sis been  upon  fortuna,  that  word  would  have  stood  .either  immedi- 
ately after  quoniam  or  (better)  at  the  very  end  of  the  sentence. 
Sommerbrodt  is  apparently  keenly  conscious  of  the  force  of  these 
considerations,  as  well  as  of  the  fact  that  the  Greek  original  which 
Cicero  here  translates  is  ayados  yap  wv  evdai/aoveis,  4 for  ’tis  as  a 
possessor  of  personal  worth  that  you  are  so  happily  situated.’ 
Sommerbrodt  is  prevented  from  giving  these  considerations  their 
proper  weight  (me  iudice)  by  the  unnecessary  and  (under  the  cir- 
cumstances) extremely  improbable  view  that  fortuna  in  the  phrase 
Ilac  ig it ur  fortuna  refers  to  fortuna  in  the  passage  under  discus- 
sion. Ilac  igitur  fortuna , 4 this  lot  now,’  refers  rather  in  a general 
way  to  the  kind  of  life  described  in  the  two  preceding  chapters 
(xv,  xvi),  whereas  fortuna  in  the  passage  under  discussion  refers 
to  the  special  material  advantages  of  Cyrus  ( purpura , aurum , 
gemmae , etc.);  " igitur  then  is  simply  resumptive  of  the  thought 
interrupted  at  the  close  of  chapter  xvi. 


128 


CATO  MAIOR  DE  SENECTUTE 


30.  totum  carmen : LEV  have  this  reading.  Other  Mss.  omit 
totum ; so  Muller.  To  me  it  is  more  likely  that  totum  (especially 
after  notum)  should  have  dropped  out  of  those  Mss.  in  which  it  is 
lacking,  than  that  it  should  have  been  inserted  in  those  Mss.  in 
which  it  is  found. 

27,  29.  'omnes  illi:  Reid  takes  illi  as  dative.  But  no  such 
strong  demonstrative  referring  to  the  old  man  would  be  in  place 
here,  whereas  illi  (referring  to  the  Lacedaemonians)  is  necessary 
with  omnes ; otherwise  the  Latin  means  the  whole  audience.  It 
is  evidently  to  avoid  this  misconception  that  illi  is  used  by  Cicero. 

29,  22.  quoniam : the  Mss.  read  cwm,  which  is  impossible  here. 
Lambinus  conjectured  quod,  adopted  by  Muller.  I have  adopted 
Reid’s  conjecture,  quoniam , believing  that  Cicero  would  hardly 
have  written  quod  id  quod.  Assuming  that  Cicero  wrote  quoniam, 
we  have  only  to  suppose  that  this  became  corrupted  to  quom  (an 
easy  change,  especially  as  quoniam  was  often  abbreviated  as  qm). 
Cicero  probably  regularly  wrote  quom  for  the  conjunction.  The 
copyists  have  changed  this  regularly  to  cum.  Hence  the  Ms.  cum 
in  the  present  passage  could  easily  go  back  (through  quom)  to  an 
original  quoniam , as  conjectured  by  Reid.  Hale,  Cwm-Construc- 
tions,  p.  243  (German  ed.  p.  302),  defends  the  Ms.  reading  cum. 

30.  24.  vi  evelluntur  : I am  at  a loss  to  understand  the  par- 
tiality of  all  recent  editors  for  vix  evelluntur , the  reading  of 
P L Br.  It  is  urged  that  Cicero  would  not  have  used  vis  four 
times  in  five  lines  ; but  if  he  could  use  it  thrice  in  this  compass, 
he  certainly  might  four  times,  especially  if  the  sense  demanded. 
It  is  also  urged  that  vi  is  redundant  with  evelluntur , since  every 
act  of  plucking  necessitates  the  exercise  of  force.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  is  scarcely  less  than  ridiculous  and  in  direct  contradiction 
of  the  experience  of  every  lad  of  enterprise  to  say  that  apples  are 
‘ plucked  with  difficulty,’  or  that  they  ‘ can  hardly  be  pulled  off.’ 

32.  possis  : the  reading  of  all  Mss.  except  PL,  which  have 
possit  (L  posset)  adopted  by  Muller  ; but  the  subjunctive  is  anom- 
alous here,  except  in  the  indefinite  2d  singular.  The  3d  singular 
would  demand  the  indicative. 

mortemque  contemnere : these  words  are  bracketed  as  an 
interpolation  by  Muller  and  others.  The  evidence  is  hardly  suffi- 
cient, to  my  mind,  to  warrant  this  attitude. 


CRITICAL  APPENDIX 


129 


31.  15.  elogium  est:  the  reading  of  most  Mss.  ; est  is  omitted 
by  LP.  Halm  and  Baiter,  followed  by  Muller,  transpose  elogium 
est  of  the  Mss.,  and  read  est  elogium.  I see  no  justification  of  this. 

19.  dacrumis : this  is  Bergk’s  conjecture,  which  I have  adopted 
on  account  of  the  alliteration.  Sommerbrodt,  Meissner,  Anz,  Kor- 
nitzer,  among  recent  editors,  read  dacrumis ; Muller,  lacrumis. 

31.  cum  recorder : this  is  the  reading  of  most  Mss.  ; SE,  fol- 
lowed by  Sommerbrodt  and  Reid,  have  recordor;  but  the  cum- 
clause  here  is  in  meaning  essentially  causal,  and  the  subjunctive 
is  to  be  preferred. 

32.  24.  Equidem  non : the  reading  of  most  Mss.  LP  have 
Non  enim , followed  by  Muller.  It  is  easier  to  account  for  non 
enim  in  LP  on  the  basis  of  an  original  equidem  non , than  to 
account  for  equidem  non  of  the  other  Mss.  on  the  basis  of  an  origi- 
nal non  enim.  Assuming  that  equidem  once  became  corrupted  to 
enim  non , the  transposition  non  enim  would  be  the  next  step. 

27.  tuum,  Scipio,  tuumque,  Laeli : most  Mss.  have  P.  Scipio, 
tuque  C.  Laeli , and  this  is  read  by  Muller ; LP  have  tu , Scipio , 
tuque  Laeli.  I have  followed  Anz  and  Kornitzer  in  adopting 
Schiche’s  conjecture,  thus  omitting  the  praenomina,  which  seem 
quite  out  of  place  here. 

35.  6.  multo  melius  ; this  is  the  reading  of  E alone.  The 
other  Mss.  have  melius  multo , adopted  by  Muller.  But  out  of 
some  two  hundred  occurrences  of  multo  with  comparatives  in 
Cicero’s  Philosophical  Works,  multo  follows  the  comparatives  in 
only  three  instances,  Ac.  II,  82  ; Fin.  Ill,  41  ; IV,  9.  Hence  I fol- 
low E,  and  should  suspect  the  three  exceptional  cases. 

36.  8.  quod  contra  : Reid  and  others  take  contra  here  as  an 
adverb,  and  seem  to  regard  quod  as  an  Accusative  of  Specification, 
a construction  which  Delbruck  with  reason  refuses  to  recognize  for 
the  prose  of  the  Ciceronian  era.  See  his  Vergleichende  Syntax, 
I,  p.  392. 

26.  defatigationem : the  Mss.  vary  between  defatigationem 
and  defectionem.  Muller  and  several  other  recent  editors  read 
defectionem ; but  defatigationem  seems  a much  more  natural 
antithesis  of  saturitas  than  would  defectionem. 


THE  STUDENTS’  SERIES  OF  LATIN  CLASSICS. 

UNDER  THE  EDITORIAL  SUPERVISION  OP 

ERNEST  MONDELL  PEASE,  A.M., 

Leland  Stanford  Junior  University, 

AND 

HARRY  THURSTON  PECK,  Ph.D., 

Columbia  University . 


This  Series  contains  the  Latin  authors  usually  read  in  American 
schools  and  colleges,  and  also  others  well  adapted  to  class-room 
use,  but  not  heretofore  published  in  suitable  editions.  The  several 
volumes  are  prepared  by  special  editors,  who  aim  to  revise  the 
^ext  carefully  and  to  edit  it  in  the  most  serviceable  manner. 
Where  there  are  German  editions  of  unusual  merit,  representing 
years  of  special  study  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances, 
these  are  used,  with  the  consent  of  the  foreign  editor,  as  a basis 
for  tli a American  edition.  In  this  way  it  is  possible  to  bring  out 
text-books  of  the  highest  excellence  in  a comparatively  short  period 
of  time. 

The  editions  are  of  two  kinds,  conforming  to  the  different 
methods  of  studying  Latin  in  our  best  institutions.  Some  contain 
in  the  introductions  and  commentary  such  a careful  and  minute 
treatment  of  the  author’s  life,  language,  and  style  as  to  afford  the 
means  for  a thorough  appreciation  of  the  author  and  his  place  in 
Latin  literature.  Others  aim  merely  to  assist  the  student  to  a good 
reading  knowledge  of  the  author,  and  have  only  the  text  and  brief 
explanatory  notes  at  the  bottom  of  each  page.  The  latter  are 
particularly  acceptable  for  sight  reading,  and  for  rapid  reading 
after  the  minute  study  of  an  author  or  period  in  one  of  the  fuller 
editions.  For  instance,  after  a class  has  read  a play  or  two  of 
Plautus  and  Terence  carefully,  with  special  reference  to  the  pecu- 
liarities of  style,  language,  metres,  the  methods  of  presenting  a 
play,  and  the  like,  these  editions  will  be  admirably  suited  for  the 
rapid  reading  of  other  plays. 

The  Series  also  contains  various  supplementary  works  prepared 
by  competent  scholars.  Every  effort  is  made  to  give  the  books  a 
neat  and  attractive  appearance. 


I 


The  following  volumes  for  College  use  are  now  ready  or  in 
preparation : — 

ATLAS  OF  THE  GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE  ANCIENT 
WORLD.  Edited  by  John  K.  Lord,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  Dart- 
mouth College. 

CATULLUS,  Selections,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Riese.  By  Thomas 
B.  Lindsay,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  Boston  University. 

CICERO,  De  Senectute  et  de  Amicitia.  By  Charles  E.  Bennett, 
A.M.,  Professor  in  the  Cornell  University.  Ready. 

CICERO,  Tusculan  Disputations,  Books  I and  II.  By  Professor  Peck. 

CICERO,  De  Oratore,  Book  I,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Sorof.  By 
W.  B.  Owen,  Pli.D.,  Professor  in  Lafayette  College.  Ready. 

CICERO,  Select  Letters,  based  in  part  upon  the  edition  of  Siipfle- 
Bockel.  By  Professor  Pease. 

GELLIUS,  Selections.  By  Professor  Peck. 

GREEK  AND  ROMAN  MYTHOLOGY.  By  Karl  P.  Harrington, 
A.M.,  University  of  Maine,  and  Herbert  C.  Tolman,  Ph.D., 
Vanderbilt  University. 

HAND-BOOK  OF  LATIN  SYNONYMS.  By  Mr.  Miller. 

HORACE,  Odes  and  Epodes.  By  Paul  Shorey,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in 
the  Chicago  University.  Ready . 

HORACE,  Satires  and  Epistles,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Kiessling. 
By  James  H.  Kirkland,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  Vanderbilt  Uni- 
versity. Ready. 

JUVENAL,  Satires.  By  James  C.  Egbert,  Jr.,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of 
Latin,  and  Nelson  G.  McCrea,  Ph.D.,  Instructor  in  Latin,  Colum- 
bia University. 

LATIN  COMPOSITION,  for  College  Use.  By  Walter  Miller,  A.M  , 
Professor  in  the  Leland  Stanford  Jr.  University.  Ready. 

LATIN  COMPOSITION,  for  Advanced  Classes.  By  H.  R.  Fairclough, 
Ph.D.,  Professor  in  the  Leland  Stanford  Jr.  University. 

LIVY,  Books  XXI  and  XXII,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Wolfflin.  By 
John  K.  Lord,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  Dartmouth  College.  Ready. 

LIVY,  Book  I,  for  rapid  reading.  By  Professor  Lord.  Ready. 

MARTIAL,  Selections.  By  Charles  Knapp,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in 
Barnard  College. 

NEPOS,  for  rapid  reading.  By  Isaac  Flagg,  Ph.D.,  Associate  Pro- 
fessor in  the  University  of  California.  Ready. 

PETRONIUS,  Cena  Trimalchionis,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Biicheler. 
By  W.  E.  Waters,  Ph.D.,  the  University  of  New  York.  Ready. 

PLAUTUS,  Captivi,  for  rapid  reading.  By  Grove  E.  Barber,  A.M., 
Professor  in  the  University  of  Nebraska.  Ready. 

PLAUTUS,  Menaechmi,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Brix.  By  Harold 
N.  Fowler,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  the  Western  Reserve  Univer- 
sity. Ready. 


2 


PLAUTUS,  Trinummus,  for  rapid  reading.  By  H.  C.  Nutting,  Ph.D., 
Instructor  in  Latin  in  the  University  of  California. 

PLINY,  Select  Letters,  for  rapid  reading.  By  Samuel  Ball  Plat- 
ner,  Pli.D.,  Professor  in  the  Western  Reserve  University.  Ready. 
QUINTILIAN,  Book  X,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Kruger.  By  Emory 
B.  Lease,  Pli.D.,  Instructor  in  the  College  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
SALLUST,  Catiline,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Schmalz.  By  Charles 
G.  Herbermann,  Pli.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  in  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York.  Ready. 

SENECA,  Select  Letters.  By  E.  C.  Winslow,  A.M. 

SPECIMENS  OF  LATIN  LITERATURE. 

Classical  Prose.  By  John  Francis  Greene,  A.M.,  Professor  in 
Brown  University. 

Classical  Poetry. 

Early  Latin.  By  Henry  F.  Linscott,  Pli.D.,  Professor  in  the 
University  of  North  Carolina. 

Latin  Hymns.  By  William  A.  Merrill,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  the 
University  of  California. 

Silver  Prose.  By  Arthur  L.  Wheeler,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in 
Bryn  Mawr  College. 

Silver  Poetry.  By  Walter  A.  Dennison,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in 
Oberlin  College. 

TACITUS,  Annals,  Book  I and  Selections  from  Book  II,  based  upon  the 
edition  of  Nipperdey-Andresen. 

TACITUS,  Agricola  and  Germania,  based  upon  the  editions  of  Schweizer- 
Sidler  and  Drager.  By  A.  G.  Hopkins,  Ph.D.,  Late  Professor  in 
Hamilton  College.  Ready. 

TACITUS,  Histories,  Book  I and  Selections  from  Books  II-V.  based 
upon  the  edition  of  Wolff.  By  Edward  H.  Spieker,  Ph.D.,  Pro- 
fessor in  the  Johns  Hopkins  University. 

TERENCE,  Adelphoe,  for  rapid  reading.  By  William  L.  Cowles,  A.M., 
Professor  in  Amherst  College.  Ready. 

TERENCE,  Phormio,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Dziatzko.  By  Her- 
bert C.  Elmer,  Ph.D.,  Assistant  Professor  in  the  Cornell  Uni- 
versity. Ready. 

THE  PRIVATE  LIFE  OF  THE  ROMANS,  a manual  for  the  use  of 
schools  and  colleges.  By  Harriet  Waters  Preston  and  Louise 
Dodge.  Ready. 

TIBULLUS  AND  PROPERTIUS,  Selections,  based  upon  the  edition  of 
Jacoby.  By  Henry  F.  Burton,  A.M.,  Professor  in  the  University 
of  Rochester. 

VALERIUS  MAXIMUS,  Fifty  Selections,  for  rapid  reading.  By 
Charles  S.  Smith,  A.M.,  late  College  of  New  Jersey.  Ready. 

VELLEIUS  PATERCULUS,  Historia  Romana,  Book  II.  By  F.  E.  Rock- 
wood,  A.M.,  Professor  in  Bucknell  University.  Ready. 

3 


Books  for  the  Secondary  School:  — 

A FIRST  BOOK  IN  £ATIN.  By  Hiram  Tuell,  A.M.,  late  Principal 
of  the  Milton  High  School,  Mass.,  and  Harold  N.  Fowler,  Ph.D., 
Professor  in  the  Western  Reserve  University.  Ready. 

A BEGINNER’S  BOOK  IN  LATIN.  By  Tuell  and  Fowler.  Ready 

A NEW  LATIN  COMPOSITION,  for  Schools.  By  M.  Grant  Daniell, 
A.M.,  formerly  Principal  of  Chauncy  Hall  School,  Boston.  Ready. 

A NEWr  GRADATIM.  By  M.  C.  Smart,  A.M.,  Principal  of  Claremont 
(N.H.)  High  School.  Ready. 

ATLAS  OF  THE  GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE  ANCIENT 
WORLD.  Edited  by  John  K.  Lord,  Pli.D.,  Professor  in  Dart- 
mouth College. 

CAESAR,  Gallic  War,  Books  I-V.  By  Harold  W.  Johnson,  Ph.D., 
Professor  in  the  Indiana  University,  and  Frederick  W.  Sanford, 
A.M.,  Professor  in  Illinois  College. 

CICERO,  Pro  Ligario.  By  Clarence  H.  White,  Latin  Master, 
Worcester  (Mass.)  Academy.  Ready. 

CICERO,  Select  Orations.  By  Benj.  L.  D’Ooge,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  the 
Michigan  State  Normal  College.  Ready. 

EUTROPIUS,  Selections.  By  Victor  S.  Clark,  Lit.D.  Ready. 

GRADED  LATIN  FOR  THE  SECOND  YEAR.  By  Leon  J.  Richard- 
son, A.B.,  Assistant  Professor  in  the  University  of  California, 
H.  Rushton  Fairclough,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  the  Leland  Stan- 
ford Jr.  University,  and  Benjamin  O.  Foster,  Ph.D.,  Instructor 
in  the  Leland  Stanford  Jr.  University. 

NEPOS,  Selections.  By  J.  C.  Jones,  A.M.,  Professor  in  the  University 
of  Missouri. 

OVID,  Selections  from  the  Metamorphoses,  based  upon  the  edition  of 
Meuser-Egen.  By  B.  L.  Wiggins,  A.M.,  Professor  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  the  South. 

OVID,  Selections,  for  rapid  reading.  By  A.  L.  Bondurant,  A.M., 
Professor  in  the  University  of  Mississippi. 

SALLUST,  Catiline,  based  upon  the  edition  of  Schmalz.  By  Charles 
G.  Herbermann,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Professor  in  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York.  Ready. 

VERGIL,  Books  I- VI.  By  James  H.  Kirkland,  Ph.D.,  Chancellor  of 
Vanderbilt  University,  and  William  H.  Kirk,  Pli.D.,  Professor  in 
Rutgers  College. 

VERGIL,  The  Story  of  Turnus  from  Aen.  VII-XII,  for  rapid  reading. 
By  Moses  Slaughter,  Ph.D.,  Professor  in  the  University  of  Wis- 
consin. Ready. 

VIRI  ROMAE,  Selections.  With  Prose  Exercises.  By  G.  M.  Whicher, 
A.M.,  Teachers’  Normal  College,  New  York  City.  Ready. 


BENJ.  H.  SANBORN  & CO.,  Publishers, 

Boston,  Chicago,  London. 

4 


I 


